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Calumbia  E^niDcrj^itp 

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THE  LIBRARIES 


Bequest  of 

Frederic  Bancroft 

1860-1945 


THE  LIFE  WORK 


OF 


JOHN  L  GIRARDEAU,  D.D.,LL.D, 

Late  Professor  in  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary, 
Columbia,  S.  C. 


COMPILED  AND  EDITED 
BY 

GEORGE  A.  BLACKBURN,  D.  D. 


Columbia,  S.  C. 

THE  STATE  COMPANY 

1916. 


.f  V2.^i 


Q.H'^ 


Copyright  1916 

BY 

The   State  Company. 


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^  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

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"  Page 

Preface 5 

Chapter  I. — Ancestry  and  Boyhood    ...         7 

By  George  A.  Blackburn,  D.  D. 

Chapter        II. — Conversion  and  Early  Ministry       22 
By  George  A.  Blackburn,  D.  D, 

Chapter      III. — Work  Among  the  Negroes — I    .       31 

By  Edward  C.  Jones 
Work  Among  the  Negroes — II         51 

By  Joseph  B.  Mack,  D.  D. 
Work  Among  the  Negroes — III        72 

By  George  A.  Blackburn,  D.  D. 

Chapter       IV.— Confederate  ChapLain      ...      106 
By  D.  W.  McLaurin 

Chapter        V.— Pastorate  After  the  War     .      .     133 
By  Thomas  H.  Law,  D.  D. 

Chapter       VI. — Seminary  Professor   ....     164 
By  William  T.  Hall,  D.  D. 

Chapter     VII.— The  Presbyter 208 

By  R.  A.  Webb,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Chapter  VIII. — Evolution   Controversy    .      .      .     231 
By  Robert  A.  Webb,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Chapter       IX.— The  Philosopher 285 

By  Thornton  Whaling,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Chapter        X.— The  Theologian 304 

By  Thornton  Whaling,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


4  Contents. 

Page 
Chapter      XI. — Examples  of  Poems  and  Other 

Writings 341 

By  George  A.  Blackburn,  D.  D. 

Chapter    XII.— The  Man 366 

By  George  A.  Blackburn,  D.  D. 

Appendix 393 

Index 429 

By  Thornton  Whaling,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


PREFACE 

This  book  is  not  intended  to  be  an  ordinary  biog- 
raphy. Dr.  Girardeau  belonged  to  a  Church  and  to  an 
age  that  gave  the  world  an  unusual  number  of  extra- 
ordinary men,  many  of  whose  lives  have  already  been 
written,  covering,  in  a  general  way,  the  most  important 
events  that  occurred  in  his  time  and  locality.  Its  pur- 
pose, therefore,  is  supplemental,  showing  who  he  was, 
and  what  part  he  performed  in  the  great  movements 
of  his  day. 

It  presents  him  chiefly  in  action,  and  covers  only 
parts  of  his  life.  It  has  been  written,  for  the  most 
part,  by  men  who  were  associated  with  him  during  the 
times  they  have  described,  and  by  agreement  with  the 
Editor,  each  author  has  been  perfectly  free  to  express 
his  individual  opinions.  This  method  has  its  dis- 
advantages, especially  in  its  tendency  to  repetition; 
but  it  also  has  its  advantages  in  giving  the  reader  more 
confidence  in  the  correctness  of  the  representations 
made  of  the  man  and  of  his  work,  especially,  when  he 
understands  that  some  of  the  writers  were  in  agreement 
with  him  in  the  greater  part  of  his  principles  and  con- 
troversies, while  an  almost  equal  number  opposed  him 
in  some  of  his  most  serious  contentions. 

It  also  meets  Dr.  Girardeau's  own  ideas  in  reference 
to  the  public  display  of  the  more  tender  emotions. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  he  destroyed  practically 
all  of  his  correspondence,  and  a  great  deal  of  other  per- 
sonal matter  to  prevent  any  one  from  writing  a  biogra- 
phy of  him  in  the  common  form. 

Some  will  think  that  this  book  should  have  appeared 
before  so  many  of  his  friends  had  died.     The  editor, 


6  The  Life  Work  of 

however,  has  delayed  its  publication  to  meet  the  genera- 
tion of  those  who  came  after  him,  witli  the  hope  that  his 
influence  might  in  some  measure  be  extended  over  them 

also. 

George  A.  Blackburn. 

Columbia,  S.  C, 

June  10,  1916. 


CHAPTER  I 


ANCESTRY  AND  BOYHOOD 

By  George  A.  Blackburn,  D.  D. 

Persecution,   when   endured   for   Christ's   sake,   has 
always  produced  a  noble  type  of  man.     It  brings  out 
all  the  strong  points  of  national  character,  and  fixes 
them  as  permanent  qualities  to  be  propagated  from 
generation  to  generation.    The  Babylonish  persecution 
has  kept  the  Jew  free  from  idolatry  to  this  day.    The 
persecutions  endured  by  the  Scots  and  the  non-Con- 
formists of  England  have  left  a  stamp,  in  the  love  of 
religious  liberty,  that  no  age  will  ever  be  able  to  efface. 
The   persecution   of   the   Huguenots   brought   out   an 
unusual  number  of  splendid  qualities  in  that  remark- 
able people.     This  was  due  to  the  distinctive  qualities 
of  the  French  mind,  and  to  the  special  characteris- 
tics of  the  French  disposition.    When  powerfully  acted 
upon  by  the  Gospel,  and  then  subjected  to  the  fierce 
fires  of  a  pitiless  persecution,  there  came  forth  a  people 
strong  of  mind  and  heart,  intense  in  their  Calvinism, 
rigid  in  their  discipline,  pure  in  their  lives,  unbending 
in  their  loyalty,  ardent  in  their  zeal,  tender  in  their 
sympathies,  and  magnetic  in  their  personalities.   Driven 
from  their  native  land  by  the  Edict  of  Nantz,  they 
were  scattered,  by  the  providence  of  God,  among  all 
the  nations  holding  the  Protestant  faith,  to  enrich  by 
their  experience  and  by  their  spirituality  all  Christi- 
anity. 

In   this  illustrious  company  were  the   ancestors  of 
John  L.  Girardeau.     In  the  History  of  the  Huguenot 


8  The  Life  Work  of 

Emigration  to  America.^  Baird  says :  "Jean  Girardeau 
came  from  Talmont,  a  neighboring  town  near  the 
Saine  coast."  That  is,  near  La  Chaume,  on  the  coast 
of  Poitoii.  This  was  also  the  birthplace  of  Benjamin 
Marion,  ancestor  of  Francis  Marion.  In  a  foot  note 
Baird  says:  "John  Girardeau,  born  at  Talmont  in 
Poitou,  son  of  Peter  Girardeau  and  Catherine 
Lareine."  Kamsey,  also,  in  his  history  of  South  Caro- 
lina, mentions  the  fact  that  the  ancestors  of  the  Girar- 
deau family,  with  other  persecuted  Huguenots,  fled 
from  France  after  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Xantz. 

The  family  records  begin  with  the  statement  that 
John  Girardeau,  son  of  Isaac  Girardeau,  was  born  in 
Liberty  County,  Georgia,  March  1,  1756.  This  Isaac 
Girardeau  was  the  great-grand-father  of  John  L. 
Girardeau.  The  family,  after  spending  some  time  in 
South  Carolina,  moved  to  Georgia.  From  here  a  part 
returned  to  South  Carolina,  part  moved  on  to  Florida, 
and  a  part  remained  in  Georgia.  Dr.  Girardeau's 
grand-father,  John,  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  For  some  years  before  his  death  he  was 
totally  blind.  Dr.  Girardeau,  in  the  family  Bible, 
records  the  fact  that  he  remembered  some  of  the  stories 
he  used  to  relate  concerning  his  adventures  in  the  war. 
He  lived  to  be  eighty-one  years  of  age  and  was  a  devout 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

His  grand-mother  was  Eleanor  Dashwood  Williams. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  in 
the  family  records  it  is  written  of  her:  "Eead  the 
Bible  constantly.  Intelligent  and  cheerful.  Just 
before  she  died  the  hymn  commencing,  'Jesus,  lover 
of  my  soul,'  was  sung  at  her  bedside.     She  exclaimed, 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  9 

'I  am  safe.' "  She  was  seventy-nine  years  of  age  at 
her  death. 

His  father  was  John  Bohim  Girardeau,  who  was 
born  at  Toogoodoo,  St.  Paul's  Parish,  Colleton  Dis- 
trict, S.  C,  October  27th,  1798.  He  was  married  to 
his  first  wife  on  December  16th,  1824,  by  Dr.  A.  W. 
Leland.  Like  the  other  members  of  his  family,  he  also 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  died  at 
Beech  Island,  S.  C,  from  an  attack  of  influenza,  com- 
plicated with  typhoid  fever.  In  the  record  of  his  death 
Dr.  Girardeau  wrote :  "It  was  one  of  my  sweetest 
privileges,  my  dear  and  honored  father,  to  hold  com- 
munion with  thee  on  earth;  it  is  one  of  my  fondest 
hopes  to  renew  it  in  heaA^en." 

His  mother  was  Claudia  Heme  Freer,  daughter  of 
Edward  and  Margaret  Freer.  She  was  born  on  James 
Island,  S.  C,  March  17,  1801.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  woman  of  extraordi- 
nary loveliness  of  character.  She  died  from  country 
fever,  as  it  was  called,  on  June  21,  1833.  John 
Lafayette  Girardeau  was  the  eldest  son  of  this  mar- 
riage. Five  other  children  were  born  to  these  parents : 
Emily  Margaret,  Thomas  Jefferson,  Edward  Freer, 
who  died  on  his  first  birthday,  Claudia  May,  and 
Edward  Freer,  the  name  being  the  same  as  that  of  the 
fourth  child. 

From  a  second  marriage,  to  Mar}^  Fisher  Hughes, 
six  children  were  born  to  his  father.  They  were :  Wil- 
liam Hughes,  John  Bohun,  Isaac  Williams,  Mary 
Hughes,  George  Maurice,  and  Beulah  Ellen. 

Dr.  Girardeau  made  some  notes  of  his  early  life  and 
experiences,  in  order  that  they  might  not  slip  away 
from  his  memory.  These  notes  contain  the  only  data 
from  which  a  history  of  his  early  life  could  be  con- 


10  The  Life  Work  of 

structed.  They  are  largely  in  brief  sentences  and  catch 
words.  It  will  probably  be  more  interesting,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  give  a  more  accurate  picture  of  his 
youth,  to  publish  them,  in  so  far  as  they  are  intelligi- 
ble, just  as  he  has  written  them.    He  says: 

"I  was  born  on  James  Island,  near  Charleston,  on 
the  14th  of  November,  1825.  Was  baptized  by  Kev. 
Dr.  A.  W.  Leland,  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

"My  earliest  recollections  are  connected  with  my 
mother.  On  one  Sunday  afternoon,  when  I  had  just 
learned  to  read — about  five  years  old — she  called  me 
to  her,  and,  holding  the  Bible  in  her  lap,  bade  me  lean 
on  her  knees  and  read  the  nineteenth  Chapter  of 
John's  Gospel,  commencing,  'Then  Pilate  therefore 
took  Jesus  and  scourged  Him.'  I  was  very  much 
affected  by  the  account  of  the  Savior's  suft'erings  and 
cried.  She  then  told  me  to  go  up-stairs.  I  remember 
that,  as  I  went,  in  the  midst  of  tears,  I  was  very  vain 
of  the  feeling  I  had  exhibited,  and  wondered  whether 
mother  would  not  tell  it  to  others. 

"Remember  going  to  the  Sabbath  School  held  at  the 
church.  Dr.  Leland  was  generally  present  and  taught 
a  class  himself. 

"Father  and  mother  joined  the  Church  after  I  was 
born.  I  must  have  been  about  three  or  four  years  old. 
They  joined  under  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Leland.  Pre- 
sented themselves  together  on  same  day.  There  had 
been  a  revival  of  religion  on  the  Island  and  many 
made  a  profession  of  religion.  Remember  the  prayer 
meetings  which  were  held  at  night  from  house  to 
house.  Used  to  sit  on  a  bench  near  my  grandmother 
(Mrs.  Lawton)  or  mother.  Remember  Dr.  Leland 
standing  up  in  a  corner  near  a  table  and  speaking  to 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  11 

the  i^eople.  The  room  used  to  be  filled.  The  yards 
filled  with  horses  and  gigs.  Dr.  Leland  used  fre- 
quently to  walk  to  the  meetings.  Remember  him  walk- 
ing up  the  path  through  the  churchyard  to  the 
church;  and  in  the  pulpit.  Wondered  w^hy  he  did  not 
strike  his  hand  against  the  sounding-board  when  he 
gesticulated;  that  old  sounding-board  attached  to  the 
low^  ceiling  with  a  large  star  of  different  colored  wood 
let  into  it. 

"Remember  well  the  church;  the  pew  w^here  father 
and  mother  sat.  Sat  sometimes  with  them  and  some- 
times with  Uncle  Freer  in  his  square  corner  pew  next 
the  side  door.  And  that  holly  tree,  wdiose  bright  red 
berries  used  to  hang  near  the  little  square  window  on 
the  side  of  the  pulpit.  I  think  I  see  them  gleaming 
there  now.  The  gentlemen  used  to  stand  under  two 
large  red-oak  trees  and  talk  before  service  and  make 
curious  figures  on  the  ground  with  their  sticks.  The 
boys  used  to  ramble  about  the  churchyard,  pulling 
sassafras  roots  to  chew  and  wild  violets  to  'fight  cows' 
with  their  crooked  necks;  then  stroll  down  the  road 
and  drink  water  from  the  ditch,  out  of  bay-leaves. 

"Remember  Uncle  Isaac  riding  'old  Scott,'  grand- 
father's old  sorrel,  to  church,  and  the  exquisite  satis- 
faction with  which  I  would  ride  him  home  with 
crossed  stirrups  to  'suit  my  length.'  One  day  the  old 
fellow  went  off  with  me  in  a  canter  and  frightened  me 
dreadfully. 

"One  afternoon  Mr.  Osborn  preached  and  spoke 
solemnly  of  eternity.  The  evening  shadows  were 
lengthening,  the  woods  grew  browner,  and  the  sermon, 
connected  w4th  the  solemn  look  of  the  woods,  affected 
me  very  much.  One  evening  cried  to  go  to  prayer 
meeting  with    father   and    mother.      It   was   held   at 


12  The  Life  Work  of 

'Uncle  Jackey's'.  Mr.  Osborn  lectured,  and,  on  being 
told  that  I  begged  to  come  on  that  cold  night,  praised 
me  for  it. 

"When  about  five  years  old,  was  sent  to  school  to 
Mr.  Kawlins  Rivers,  who  taught  the  only  school  on 
the  Island.  'Head  and  foot'  plan.  Used  to  stimulate 
the  ambition  of  the  scholars.  Kemember  being  required 
by  my  father  to  give  account  of  my  standing  in  the 
classes.  Great  tribulation  to  be  'taken  down,'  and 
obliged  to  report  to  him.  Studied  lessons  along  the 
road  from  school  home.  Carpenters  spelling. — 'ache, 
a  pain':  'adze,  a  carpenter's  axe.' 

"Remember  that  cow  that  I  tried  to  scare  by  jump- 
ing at  her ;  how  she  plunged  up  to  me  and  there  stood 
dancing  up  and  down,  shaking  her  head  and  threaten- 
ing to  gore  me  to  death  every  instant.  Tommy  was 
over  the  fence  in  a  jiffy  and  left  me  to  scuffle  for 
myself.  But  the  creature,  after  letting  me  know  what 
she  could  do  with  me  if  she  pleased,  quietly  walked 
off,  to  my  great  relief.  Providence  spared  my  life 
then.  It  would  have  been  as  easy  for  her  to  have  killed 
me  as  to  have  gi\^n  her  horn  an  extra  push.  The 
plaid  cloak  fluttered  in  vain. 

"Remember,  too,  how  Aldrich  pushed  me  headlong 
into  the  pond  when  I  was  on  my  knees  drinking  water. 
Spared  again. 

"Remember,  too,  upon  first  trying  to  swim  at  the 
'swimming  place,'  Fort  Johnson,  how  I  was  just  about 
to  drown,  when  Sun  rescued  me;  and  how  the  grey 
mare  ran  away  with  me  down  the  'Bluff  Road,'  with- 
out saddle  or  bridle,  and  not  even  a  handkerchief  or 
grape  vine  in  her  mouth;  how  I  jumped  off,  thinking 
she  was  going  down  into  the  creek,  and,  falling  on  my 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  13 

head,  could  scarcely  rise  or  see;  how  the  boys  on  their 
horses  seemed  to  be  away  up  in  the  sky. 

"Remember,  too,  how  afterwards,  in  St.  Thomas',  I 
was  thrown  heels  over  head  and  nearly  killed  by  the 
fall ;  how,  in  Montague  Street,  I  was  precipitated  from 
a  tree  and  the  breath  knocked  out  of  me;  the  fall,  too, 
from  old  Bob  near  the  barn  in  St.  Thomas',  when  the 
gun  broke  in  twain  under  me;  and  on  the  Island, 
how  the  ox,  'Old  Pallux,'  gored  me  in  the  temple ;  the 
fall  from  a  horse,  too,  in  Christ  Church  Parish  at  the 
bridge  near  Mitton  Ferry,  thrown  clear  over  his  head 
and  nearly  run  over  by  him. 

"  'When  in  the  slippery  paths  of  youth 
With  heedless  steps  I  ran, 
Thine  arm  unseen  conveyed  me  safe 
And  led  me  up  to  man.' 

"When  about  seven  years  old,  swore  dreadfully  at  a 
playmate;  so  loudly  that  I  was  heard  at  a  distance. 
Mother  dispatched  Lem  for  me,  who  carried  me,  fight- 
ing and  screaming,  to  her.  She  took  me  into  her  room, 
and  corrected  me  soundly.  Remember  it  with  grati- 
tude. It  did  me  good.  Thank  God  for  a  mother  who 
was  fond  and  tender  but  would  not  suffer  sin  in  her 
children.  I  remember  no  other  chastisement  received 
from  her.  Afterwards,  years  afterwards,  was  led  by 
bad  company  to  use  profane  language  but  only  occa- 
sionally. That  correction,  I  have  reason  to  believe, 
was  the  means  of  deterring  me  from  forming  the  habit 
to  any  great  degree.  Remember,  long  after,  being 
rebuked  by  schoolmaster  for  using  profanely  the  name 
of  the  blessed  Savior. 

"When  I  Avas  seven  years  old  dear  mother  died.  We 
were  playing  on  the  grass-plot  in  front  of  Aunt  Eliza- 
beth's, when  some  one  came  and  told  us  she  was  dying. 


14  The  Life  Work  or 

Strange  sound !  Tommy  and  I  went  into  the  house 
and  stood  in  the  passage-way  by  the  door  of  her  cham- 
ber. The  room  was  full  of  people.  It  was  an  after- 
noon in  June,  about  four  o'clock.  There  she  lay,  pale 
and  speechless.  Father  was  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  ill 
himself,  too  weak  to  succeed  in  getting  on  the  bed; 
she  beckoned  to  Uncle  Edward  and  pointed  to  her 
children,  who  were  standing  near  the  bed,  as  much  as 
to  sa}',  'Let  nothing  harm  them  when  I  am  gone.'  She 
then  gave  her  hand  in  a  last  farewell  which  she  could 
not  speak,  but  which  she  tenderly  looked,  to  father, 
and,  afterwards,  to  her  children  and  relatiATs  succes- 
sively, and,  having  thus  bidden  them  all  good-bye,  she 
quietly  closed  her  eyes  and  fell  asleep  in  Jesus'  arms. 
I  think  I  see  it  all  now.  Afterwards  father  went  into 
another  room  and  I  lay  beside  him  on  the  bed.  Rev. 
Mr.  Edward  Buist  was  with  him  and  offered  prayer, 
kneeling  by  his  bed. 

"The  funeral  took  place  next  afternoon,  in  the  meet- 
ing house  at  Fort  Johnson.  It  rained  furiously.  Mr. 
Buist  preached;  a  solemn  hymn  was  sung,  they  lashed 
the  coffin  on  the  carriage  part  of  a  gig,  and  the  mourn- 
ful procession  moved  off.  They  took  the  body  to  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  Island  and  carried  it  to 
the  east  side  of  the  churchyard.  Father  afterwards 
erected  a  tomb  covered  by  a  marble  slab,  which  stands 
to  this  day,  though  not  as  at  first,  alone. 

"To  this  day,  her  memory  is  held  in  honor  by  those 
who  knew  her.  Often  have  I  been  asked  b}^  the  poor 
negroes  on  the  Island,  'Are  you  Miss  Claudy's  child?' 
'Yes.'  'Bless  you.  Your  mudder  was  a  good  woman !' 
She  was  kind  to  everybody,  especially  to  sick  and 
needy  negroes.  Often  did  she  send  me  with  a  plate  of 
breakfast  to  old  'Daddy  Prince.'     One  morning,  as  I 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  15 

went  to  carry  him  his  breakfast,  I  found  the  old  man, 
propped  against  the  wall — dead.  I  have  never  heard 
an  evil  word  said  of  her.  She  bore  the  character  of  an 
humble,  sweet-tempered,  useful  follower  of  the  Lord 
Jesus. 

"In  the  death  of  our  dear  mother  I  recognize  one  of 
the  most  marked  dealings  of  Providence  with  me,  as 
with  the  other  members  of  the  family.  After  her 
death  our  relations  changed.  A  new  complexion  was 
imparted  to  our  whole  subsequent  life.  With  her  life 
terminated  one  distinct  section  of  my  own.  There  a 
monument  was  raised  which  designated  the  end  of  one 
period  and  the  commencement  of  another.  And  now, 
in  looking  back  upon  it,  and  reviewing  the  part  of  my 
life  intervening  between  her  death  and  the  present 
time,  I  think  I  can  distinctly  see  how  it  has  worked 
for  ultimate  good.  I  humbly  believe  the  Lord  intended 
it  so.  We  lost  the  benefit  of  her  motherly  care  and 
instruction,  but  we  gained  the  benefit  of  tuition  in  the 
school  of  affliction;  and  eternity  alone  will  reveal  how 
important  that  discipline  was. 

"I  continued  to  attend  the  school  of  Mr.  Rivers  until 
I  was  ten  years  old.  Lived  part  of  the  time  with  Aunt 
Elizabeth  and  part  with  Uncle  Freer.  Father  had  a 
situation  under  the  government  at  Fort  Johnson,  and 
continued  planting  on  the  Island.  While  we  were 
living  with  'Uncle  Jackey' — John  Limbaker — one  day 
news  was  brought  down  to  the  Fort  that  he  had 
dropped  dead  in  his  field.  Several  gentlemen  imme- 
diately went  up  and  found  it  even  so.  I  remember 
their  bringing  his  body  down,  and  taking  it  up  the 
front  steins  into  his  room.  He  was  buried  beside  his 
wife,  Ann  Baker  Limbaker,  at  the  Presbyterian 
Church  on  the  Island.    She  was  a  daughter  of  Grand- 


16  The  Life  Work  of 

father  Girardeau  by  his  first  wife,  who  was  Mary 
Wescoat.  They  were  both  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  bore  the  character  of  humble  and 
consistent  Christians.  Remember  well  his  holding 
family  worship  early  every  morning.  The  servants, 
whom  I  remember  as  being  in  his  family,  were  Sally, 
Maria,  Chloe,  Philip  and  'Driver  Isaac'  Remember 
his  early  horn  !  How  many  associations  cluster  around 
the  sound  of  that  horn !  Seldom  hear  a  horn  at  day- 
light now  without  thinking  of  the  sweet  sound  of 
'Driver  Isaac's'  morning  call. 

"Remember  the  tall  locust  trees.  The  little  gate  with 
sole-leather  hinges  that  swung  in  the  bottom  of  a  glass 
bottle.  The  eager  game  of  'shinny;'  the  pond.  The 
turke3^s  and  Jerusalem  oak — old  Marm  Bella  on  the 
road  side,  with  her  pocket  of  groundnuts  and  her 
roasted  potatoes.  The  tall  china-brier  shoots,  our 
'sparrow  grass,'  the  'whoop  and  hide'  by  moonlight, 
and  the  race  of  cows  at  night.  There  is  Uncle  Jackey 
dressing  by  the  'dresser,'  'tis  scarcely  day,  he  hasn't  his 
coat  or  waistcoat  on  yet.  See  his  suspenders  connected 
by  that  bridge  in  the  middle  of  his  back.  'Get  up, 
there,  you  lazy  fellows,  if  you  don't  I'll  give  you  some 
of  this  water!'  Splash  !  Oh,  then  the  rush  for  panta- 
loons. There  is  the  little  table  in  the  corner.  The  big 
Bible  covered  with  cloth  is  opened,  the  chapter  read, 
then  we  kneel  down.  Take  a  peep  from  our  chairs  at 
him,  see  his  round  spectacle-glasses.  ^Ye  are  at  the 
Fort — he  stands  near  his  house  and  astonishes  the  boys 
by  heaving  a  clam  shell  to  'The  Hill.'  Prodigious ! 
The  Hill  has  come  nearer  noAv.  A  boy  might  fling  a 
shell  across  where  we  sailed  our  shingle  boats,  'strung 
off'  with  feathers  of  white  and  black  and  red,  plucked 
from  the  hens  and  pullets. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  17 

"Remember  the  landing  of  shingles  for  the  new 
church.  They  were  put  on  the  beach  just  in  front  of 
father's  house.  William  and  his  new  song  just  imported 
from  'Town':  'Dan,  dan — a — who?  Dan — da  monkey, 
oh.'  As  he  sings  he  strikes  his  knees  together.  Won- 
derful !  There  is  Tommy  in  his  little  blue  and  speckled 
frock.  Some  one  taunts  him  with  it:  Was  it  Mr. 
Hinson?  The  surf  pitches  in  and  dashes  up  the  float- 
ing shingles.  The  boat  rocks  but  the  song  goes  on 
merrily  and  the  pile  gets  bigger. 

"Remember  the  afternoon  that  the  mad  dog  came 
trotting  along  and  bit  'Fox,'  Uncle  Freer's  best  horse, 
and  'Chester,'  his  fine  large  dog?  See  them  throwing 
Fox  down.  They  brand  him  with  a  hot  iron,  but  the 
noble  fellow  lies  down  and  dies.  Chester  dies,  too. 
'Sheep-driver,'  splendid  fellow,  how  he  frets  to  go ! 
'Nappy  tandy,'  too,  how  he  makes  the  gig  spin !  'Jim 
Crow.'  They  let  him  out  of  the  stable.  See  him  tear- 
ing down  the  beach  sending  his  heels  high  in  the  air 
at  every  jump. 

"Remember  the  sand  hills  on  the  back  beach.  The 
swims,  the  rolls,  the  gloomy  looking  'tower.'  Soldiers 
used  to  be  flogged  there.  Old  Nich'las  and  the  jersey- 
wagon,  the  ride  to  grand-father's  at  Wappoo.  The 
tenderness  of  mother  for  the  horse,  her  getting  out  and 
walking  in  order  to  relieve  him.  Old  "Daddy  Saturday," 
Mr.  Roy  all's  driver,  coming  along  the  woodside,  whip 
tied  on  his  shoulder.  Dread  of  him,  scampering.  Rides 
to  Mr.  Buist's  on  Saturday — Shorter  Catechism. 
'Whoop  and  Hide'  at  night :  'One's  all,  two's  all,  zig- 
zole-zam;  bob-tail,  bob-tail,  tickle  'um,  tan;  ha-rum, 
scarum,  mujum,  marum,  France!  You  are  out.' 
Remember  at  one  of  these  plays  Furman  Witter,  using 
the  word  'excepting,'  and  my  being  gravelled  by  it, 


18  The  Life  Work  of 

wondering  why  he  did  not  use  the  word  'except'  with- 
out the  'ing.' 

"The  following  scholars  were  at  the  school  on  James 
Island,  taught  by  Mr.  Kivers:  Arabella  Kivers,  Sarah 
Ann  Rivers,  Caroline  Rivers,  Emma  Witter,  Furman 
Witter,  James  B.  Witter,  Benjamin  Witter,  Ralph 
Holmes,  Caroline  Holmes,  Sarah  Palmer  Holmes,  Wil- 
liam Jeffords,  Washington  Jeffords,  Joseph  Jeffords, 
Edward  Freer,  Marion  Freer,  Adeline  Rivers,  Abra- 
ham Limbaker,  John  Limbaker,  Isaac  Limbaker, 
Joseph  Turnbull,  Aldrich,  Jackson  Hendlen,  Thomas 
A.  Hendlen,  Mary  Hendlen,  James  Lawton,  Joseph 
Mikell,  Elizabeth  Royall,  Cornelia  Royall,  Leland 
Rivers,  Josephine  Rivers,  Eliza  Rivers,  and  John  L. 
Girardeau. 

"On  November  20,  1834,  father  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Fisher  Hughes  of  Charleston.  Very  soon  after 
'Ma,'  Grandmother  Lawton,  died!  Remember  the 
morning  in  the  'shed-room'  when  they  came  and  told 
us,  while  in  bed,  that  she  was  dead.  Went  over  to  the 
'other  house,'  as  Uncle  Freer's  was  called  by  us.  There 
was  uncle,  sitting  by  the  chimney  in  his  room.  AYent 
into  the  next  room,  and  there,  where  I  had  often  slept 
in  the  same  bed  w^th  her,  lay  her  poor  body  in  death. 
Buried  in  the  Presbyterian  churchyard  near  the  road 
on  the  southwest  side. 

"When  I  was  ten  years  old  I  was  sent  to  Charleston 
and  placed  at  the  school  of  the  German  Friendly 
Society  in  Archdale  Street.  Was  taught  by  Joseph 
Theus  Lee,  Esq.  Boarded  in  the  family  of  Mrs.  Beulah 
Hughes,  mother  of  father's  wife,  northeast  corner  of 
Tradd  and  Orange  Streets.  This  was  in  January,  1836. 
Here  commenced  a  new  and  important  era  in  my  life. 
My  associations  were  all  changed.    I  was  elated  at  first 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  19 

at  the  prospect  of  going  to  live  in  'Town.'  But  one  or 
two  days  sufficed  to  cool  my  ardor,  and  soon  the  home 
of  my  childhood  haunted  me  by  night  and  day,  and 
I  shed  many  a  tear  after  I  lay  down  at  night.  Begged 
father  to  take  me  back  into  the  country,  did  not  wish 
to  live  in  town.  He  refused;  bitter,  bitter  disappoint- 
ment. I  was  now  almost  left  to  take  care  of  myself 
m  every  respect.  Attended  the  Sabbath  School  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church,  where  I  gained  religious 
knowledge.  Teacher,  Mr.  Patterson,  kind  man,  remem- 
ber him  with  gratitude.  Remember  Mr.  Tom  Vardell, 
the  Superintendent.  Scholars  in  same  class,  Sam 
Turner,  Martin  McMaster  and  Charles  Scanlan. 

"Remember  that  lonely  garret — the  water — the  rats 
that  used  to  come  and  drink  at  night.  Their  terrible 
races  and  scuffles  in  the  'cuddy,'  and  over  the  room. 
That  terrible  racket  on  the  staircase  made  by  one  with 
a  huge  potato  which  he  lugged  up  step  by  step.  The 
straits  to  which  I  was  reduced — waking  up  early  in 
the  morning  and  studying  lessons  in  bed  by  first  light 
of  day.  Baths  at  the  pump.  Allowance!  Rations. 
Rice  cake !  Prayers  by  the  fire.  That  short  Psalm. 
Cold  nights.  Cold  Sundays  in  the  garret,  sunshine  in 
the  window.  Sunday  school  books.  That  blue  suit, 
'all  buttoned  down  before,'  those  pumps  and  stockings. 
Square  corner  pew  in  church.  Dr.  Smyth.  Marshall's 
bakery.  The  play  in  school  yard  in  morning.  Palpi- 
tating heart. 

"Remained  at  German  School  until  I  was  fourteen 
years  old.  Commenced  Latin :  Gould's  Adam's  Gram- 
mar. Jacob's  Latin  Reader.  Caesar.  Virgil.  Greek; 
Tables  of  conjugations,  declensions,  &c.  Jacob's  Greek 
Reader.  Grseca  Majora.  Xenophon's  Cyropa?dia.  For 
a  few  months  before  leaving  the  German  School  was 


20  The  Life  Work  of 

taught  by  Mr.  Haslan,  who  took  charge  of  the  school 
in  place  of  Mr.  Lee,  who  had  lost  his  father  and 
appeared  to  be  in  a  mental  condition  which  incapaci- 
tated him  for  discharging  his  ordinary  duties.  He 
was  troubled  with  religious  melancholia. 

"At  James  Island  I  was  very  ambitious.  Nearly 
always  at  the  head  of  the  class.  Mr.  Rivers  adopted 
the  plan  of  incentive  to  study  by  appeals  to  emulation. 
This  was  encouraged  by  Father,  who  uniformly 
inquired  concerning  my  daily  stand  at  school  and 
praised  or  condemned  accordingly.  When  at  the 
German  School  found  total  absence  of  emulation  sys- 
tem. No  head,  no  foot,  position  fixed.  Discipline 
severe  to  cruelty.  This  overthrew  all  desire  to  excel 
and  engendered  very  soon  a  reckless  disregard  for  the 
teacher  and  for  study.  Remember  setting  my  teeth 
and  resolving  not  to  study;  however,  did  study  to  some 
extent.  Dread  of  the  school  with  the  exception  of  the 
play  ground.  In,  sometimes,  from  eight  or  nine  in  the 
morning,  excepting  a  brief  interval  for  dinner,  until 
the  ringing  of  the  seven  o'clock  bell.  No  love  for 
study  the  consequence.  Morals  of  the  school  generally 
excessively  low.  Lying  considered  almost  a  virtue,  if 
practiced  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  a  flogging. 
Maps,  handkerchiefs,  &c.,  used  to  protect  vulnerable 
parts.  These  were  inserted  in  the  clothing — wonder- 
ful dexterity  at  the  art — ounce  of  prevention  worth  a 
pound  of  cure.  Sometimes  detected — wrath,  thumb- 
nails, palms  of  the  hand.  Small  bits  of  paper  with 
infinitesimal  inscriptions  condensing  the  lesson,  were 
used.  Great  experience  in  small  writing  and  small 
things  generally.  Only  virtue  at  a  premium,  refusal 
to  inform.  A  grand,  martyr-like  quality.  Any  amount 
of  scourging  taken  before  this  virtue  was  allowed  to 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  21 

fail.  Non-compliance  with  this  standard  ensured 
excommunication  from  the  fellowship  of  the  school. 
My  schoolmates  at  the  German  School :  Charles  Axson, 
Sam  Brodie,  Charles  Bolles,  Christopher  Carsten, 
Tom  Hewie,  James  Little,  Basil  Manly,  Tom  Wagner, 
Tom  Eoj^er,  John  Seigling,  —  Croft,  Harvey  Dingle, 
Gabriel  Wesley  Dingle,  William  Dingle,  Ashley  C. 
Wagner,  Sinclair  Wagner,  Kearney  Wagner,  Thomas 
Eason,  Edward  C.  Jones,  —  Westendorff,  John  Back- 
man  Shiver,  —  Rowell,  John  Buckmeyer,  Ninian 
Drummond,  Theodore  Smith,  —  Weyman,  William 
Plane,  Charles  Seyle,  Florence  Seyle,  William  Smith, 
George  Smith,  Henry  Seigling,  —  Evans,  Jas.  B. 
Evans,  —  McGarth,  —  Alexander,  Jos.  T.  Dill,  Fur- 
man  Smith,  —  Smith,  Edward  Hume,  John  Hume, 
and  Gadsden  Hume." 


CHAPTER  II 


CONVERSION  AND   EARLY  MINISTRY 

By  George  A.  Blackburn,  D.  D. 

Young  Girardeau  graduated  from  the  High  School 
when  he  was  between  fourteen  and  fifteen  years  of  age. 
That  fall  he  entered  the  Charleston  College.  Here 
begins  his  spiritual  life.  At  the  end  of  the  "Memoirs 
of  Thomas  HaWburton''  he  has  left  the  following  tes- 
timony :  ''Over  and  over  again  have  I  read  this 
remarkable  dying  experience.  Lord,  help  me  in  my 
last  hour!  Calvin,  Owen,  Witsius,  Halyburton  and 
Thornwell  have  been  among  the  chief  of  my  instruc- 
tors. The  account  of  Wilberforce  Richmond's  dying 
experience  in  Grimshaw's  'Legh  Richmond's  Domestic 
Portraiture,'  was  the  proximate  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  the  ever  blessed  Spirit  of  leading  me  to 
believe  in  Jesus.  It  was  at  the  north  corner  of  King 
Street  and  Price's  Alley  in  Charleston.  Oh,  the  unut- 
terable rapture  of  that  hour  when  I  found  him,  after  a 
month's  conflict  with  sin  and  hell !  The  heavens  and 
the  earth  seemed  to  be  singing  psalms  of  praise  for 
redeeming  love." 

In  an  old  Bible  the  following  record  was  found: 
"J.  L.  Girardeau  joined  Third  Presbyterian  Church, 
Charleston.  S.  C,  October  18th,  1840.  Aged  fourteen 
years  and  eleven  months." 

Dr.  Girardeau's  account  of  that  awful  month  of  con- 
viction was  enough  to  send  terror  to  any  unconverted 
soul.  He  had  just  entered  college  when  a  gloom  like 
that  of  eternal  night  fell  upon  his  soul.    His  conscience 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  23 

pointed  to  his  sinful  nature,  the  unbearable  holiness  of 
God,  and  the  flaming  bar  of  judgment.    In  everything 
about  him  he  saw  the  warnings  of  coming  vengeance, 
while  the  lurid  glare  of  an  eternal  hell  was  ever  before 
his  fervid  imagination.    His  case  seemed  hopeless.    He 
could  not  see  how  any  one  would  want  to  laugh;  he 
could  not  see  how  any  one  could  enjoy  a  life  that  was 
nothing  more  than  a  vestibule  to  the  dungeon  of  eter- 
nal woe.    He  was  afraid  to  put  out  his  light  at  night 
lest  the  darkness  should  never  end.    He  was  afraid  to 
go  to  sleep  lest  he  should  awake  in  the  company  of  the 
damned.    He  had  no  appetite  for  food.    He  could  not 
study.    No  earthly  thing  interested  him.    He  spent  his 
time  reading  the  Bible,  calling  on  God  for  mercy  and 
bemoaning  his  lost  estate.     In  vain  did  he  strive  to 
make  peace  with  God ;  he  wept  over  the  consequences 
of  his  sins,  but  there  was  no  sense  of  pardon ;  he  tried 
to  repent  and  reform,  but  there  was  no  peace ;  he  strove 
to  make  covenants  and  agreements  with  God,  but  the 
earth  was  iron  and  the  heavens  were  brass.  One  beauti- 
ful morning  while  on  his  knees  begging  for  mercy,  it 
occurred  to  him  that  he  had  already  done  everything 
that  it  was  possible  for  him  to  do,  and  that  all  of  these 
things  had  availed  him  nothing.    He  would,  therefore, 
just  surrender  himself  to  Jesus  and  leave  the  case  in 
his  hands.    This  was  faith.    Instantly  the  Holy  Spirit 
assured  him  that  he  was  accepted  in  Christ,  that  his 
sins  were  forgiven,  and  that  God  loved  him  with  an 
everlasting  love.     He  sprang  to  his  feet,  clapped  his 
hands  and  poured  out  the  overflowing  joy  of  his  soul  in 
praise.     All  nature  had  changed.     In  the  description 
of  his  feelings  he  said  that  the  sun  shone  brighter,  the 
birds  sang  sweeter,  and  the  breezes  blew  softer  than 
he  had  ever  known  tfeem  to  do.     His  flesh  as  well  as 


24  The  Life  Work  of 

his  heart  felt  the  delight  of  the  presence  of  a  recon- 
ciled God.  He  could  see  no  reason  why  any  intelligent 
creature  could  care  to  do  anything  in  this  world  but 
love  and  praise  God.  This  happy  condition  continued 
for  two  or  three  days,  and  then,  by  reason  of  some 
compromising  course,  this  strange  and  delightful  expe- 
rience passed  away,  so  slowly  that  it  was  gone  before  he 
realized  it. 

This  experience  left  its  stamp  on  his  whole  life.  The 
trace  of  that  month,  with  its  horrors  and  its  joys,  can 
be  seen  in  his  thinking,  his  preaching,  and  his  living. 
It  explains  in  a  measure  the  awful  vividness  with 
which  he  would  describe  the  terrors  that  would  befall 
the  wicked,  and  the  inexpressible  delight  that  would 
come  to  the  believer  at  the  appearing  of  the  Lord 
Jesus. 

He  graduated  from  the  Charleston  College  in  the 
spring  of  1844.  He  had  not  only  been  a  fine  student, 
but  he  was  a  splendid  athlete,  able  to  hold  his  own  in 
any  of  the  games  and  exercises  of  his  day.  His  class- 
mates were  Charles  Henry  Axson,  Charles  Patterson 
Bolls,  Adolphus  Brantly,  James  Kandolph  Burns, 
William  Bell  Corbett,  William  Tertius  Capers,  Thomas 
Hansome  Grimball,  Theodore  Samuel  Marion,  Arthur 
Robinson,  and  Samuel  Olin  Tally. 

Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  accepted  the 
position  of  tutor  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Thomas  Hamlin, 
about  eight  miles  from  Charleston,  in  Christ  Church 
Parish.  There  were  four  children  under  his  instruc- 
tion. One  of  these,  Penelope  Sarah,  a  miss  of  about  15 
years,  was  especially  interesting  to  her  19-year-old 
teacher.  He  taught  in  the  family  during  that  summer 
only,   but   when   he   left   the   teacher   and   the   pupil 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  25 

were  engaged  to  be  married.  That  fall  he  accepted  a 
school  on  James  Island,  and  while  there  transferred 
his  membership  from  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Charleston  to  the  Independent  Church  on  the 
island.  After  one  year's  teaching  he  entered,  in  1845, 
the  Columbia  Theological  Seminary,  from  which  he 
graduated  three  years  later.  At  the  Seminary  he  came 
in  contact  with  Thornwell,  the  brilliant  professor  and 
preacher  in  the  South  Carolina  College.  Dr.  B.  M. 
Palmer  was  at  that  time  preaching  to  delighted  audi- 
ences at  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Columbia, 
where  most  of  the  students  from  the  Seminary 
attended.  Dr.  Thornwell  was  preaching  to  the  college 
students  at  the  College  Chapel.  Here  young  Girardeau 
and  two  or  three  other  students  attended  with  unfail- 
ing regularity.  He  gave  these  college  sermons  credit 
for  giving  shape  and  form  to  his  theology. 

As  a  student  he  was  zealous  in  mission  work  in  and 
near  Columbia.  On  one  occasion  he  was  passing  a  field 
in  which  a  number  of  boys  were  playing  ball.  Such  a 
desecration  of  the  Sabbath  was  abhorrent  to  him. 
Walking  out  near  where  the  boys  were  playing,  he  took 
off  his  hat  and  began  to  sing  a  familiar  hymn.  He  was 
a  splendid  musician  and  had  in  his  youth  a  voice  as 
sweet  as  the  notes  of  a  flute.  In  a  few  minutes  the  boys 
were  all  standing  around  him.  He  made  them  a  little 
talk  on  his  own  work  and  spoke  to  them  of  the  danger 
of  Sabbath  desecration,  closing  with  a  request  that  they 
go  to  their  homes.  As  he  turned  on  his  way  to  his  mis- 
sion, the  boys  turned  quietly  back  to  the  city. 

He  also  held  meetings  in  an  old  shed  or  deserted 
warehouse  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  Here  prosti- 
tutes and  persons  of  the  lowest  classes  attended  his  ser- 
vices.    Some  of  them  professed  conversion. 


26  The  Life  Work  of 

His  classmates  in  the  Seminary  were  G.  H.  Cart- 
ledge,  S.  R.  Frierson,  Robert  W.  Halden,  Arnold  W. 
Miller,  Edward  P.  Palmer,  and  Joseph  D.  Porter. 

At  the  end  of  his  second  year  in  the  Seminary  he 
applied  to  the  Presbytery  of  Charleston  to  be  received 
under  its  call.  The  record  says:  *'He  was  received 
under  the  call  of  Presbytery  with  the  understanding 
that  before  applying  for  licensure  he  transfer  his  con- 
nection from  the  Independent  Church  of  James  Island 
to  some  church  in  the  Presbyterian  communion." 

The  following  minutes  record  his  licensure:  "These 
candidates,  after  a  careful  and  satisfactory  examina- 
tion, and  having  submitted  all  of  the  pieces  assigned 
them,  it  was  resolved  that  all  of  their  parts  of  trial  be 
sustained  and  Presbytery  do  now  proceed  to  their 
licensure.  Therefore  the  Presbytery  of  Charleston, 
being  in  session  October  9,  1848,  did  proceed  to  the 
licensure  of  Messrs.  Walker,  Girardeau  and  Miller. 
They  having  severally  adopted  the  confession  of  faith 
of  this  Church,  and  satisfactorily  answered  the  ques- 
tions appointed  to  be  put  to  candidates  to  be  licensed." 

His  first  appointment  was  to  preach  on  the  fourth 
Sabbath  of  November,  18J:8,  to  the  Graniteville  Church. 
This  church  was  supplied  every  second  and  fourth 
Sabbath  by  ministers  and  licentiates  of  the  Presbytery. 
He  accepted,  as  his  first  regular  work,  an  invitation 
to  supply  the  pulpit  of  the  Wappetaw  Church,  an  inde- 
pendent congregation  in  Christ's  Church  Parish,  about 
seventeen  miles  from  Mt.  Pleasant,  S.  C.  Here, 
gathered  every  Sabbath  morning,  large  numbers  of 
both  whites  and  blacks  to  hear  him  preach,  some  of 
them  coming  from  as  far  as  twenty  miles  away.  He 
preached  first  to  the  white  congregation,  which  always 
filled  the  building.    As  soon  as  it  withdrew  the  negi'oes 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  27 

filled  every  available  foot  of  space  and  he  immediately 
began  another  service,  preaching,  according  to  many 
witnesses,  his  best  sermon  to  them.  On  his  way  back 
to  Charleston,  where  he  lived,  he  would  ordinarily  stop 
at  some  plantation  and  preach  again  to  the  negroes. 
His  heart  sought  the  salvation  of  their  souls,  and  he 
threw  the  zeal  of  his  great  soul  into  the  work  of  their 
salvation,  nor  was  he  without  his  reward. 

In  January,  1849,  he  married  Penelope  Sarah  Ham- 
lin, daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Moore  Hamlin,  of 
Christ  Church  Parish,  South  Carolina.  This  was  cer- 
tainly a  gift  from  the  Lord.  He  was  naturally  a  spend- 
thrift. Money  had  little  value  to  him,  and  business 
was  an  intolerable  burden.  His  pocket  was  open  to 
every  beggar.  All  that  he  had  was  subject  to  the  call 
of  his  friends,  and  all  who  sought  his  friendship  were 
esteemed  by  him  as  his  friends.  He  was  so  unwilling 
to  make  any  profit  in  his  business  transactions,  espe- 
cially with  preachers,  that  he  was  accustomed  to  say, 
when  he  had  loaned  money  to  any  brother  minister  and 
interest  was  offered,  "Dog  won't  eat  dog."  On  the 
other  hand,  Mrs.  Girardeau  was  careful,  economical, 
saving.  She  looked  after  the  expenses  and  the  business 
side  of  life.  Although  slie  had  been  brought  up  with 
the  luxuries  that  belong  to  the  old  Southern  plantation, 
and  believed  in  living  comfortably,  when  circumstances 
allowed,  she  inherited  a  disposition  that  made  care- 
lessness, waste  or  any  form  of  prodigality  painful  to 
her. 

To  them  w^ere  born  ten  children — Susan  King, 
Thomas  Hamlin,  Edward  Heme,  John  Bohun,  Edward 
Freer,  Claude  Heme,  Sarah  DuPre,  Hannah  Moore, 
William  Richmond  and  Annie  Williams.  Of  these, 
John  and  Claude  became  elders  and  Edward  an  hon- 


28  The  Life  Work  of 

ored  member  in  the  Presbyterian  Church;  while 
Susan,  Sarah,  and  Annie  married  Presbyterian  minis- 
ters. Susan  married  the  Rev.  Thos.  B.  Trenholm, 
Sarah  married  the  Rev.  Robert  A.  Webb,  and  Annie 
married  the  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Blackburn. 

From  the  Wappetaw  Church  he  moved  to  Adams' 
Run  to  accept  work  in  the  Wilton  Church.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  minutes  of  the  Presbytery  relating  to  the 
matter:  "Barnwell  C.  H.,  April  11,  1850.  A  request 
was  received  from  the  Wilton  Church  for  the  ordina- 
tion and  ministerial  labors  of  Mr.  L.*  Girardeau,  which 
request  not  being  in  the  usual  form,  and  presenting 
some  constitutional  difficulties.  Presbytery  did  not  feel 
prepared  to  act  upon  it.  The  Rev.  G.  Howe,  J.  H. 
Thornwell,  D.  D.,  and  Elder  A.  Crawford  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  examine  the  subject  and 
bring  in  a  report  directing  the  action  of  Presbyter^"  in 
the  matter." 

This  committee  reported :  "The  committee  appointed 
to  prepare  a  minute  for  the  consideration  of  Presby- 
tery in  reference  to  the  application  of  Mr.  Girardeau 
for  ordination,  respectfully  submit  the  following: 
'Resolved,  That  Presbytery  regret  that  the  informality 
of  this  application  presents  certain  constitutional  diffi- 
culties in  the  way  of  our  acting  in  the  premises.  They 
would,  therefore,  respectfully  suggest  to  the  church  at 
Wilton  that  they  present  their  call  for  the  services  of 
Mr.  Girardeau  according  to  the  usual  form  found  in 
the  Book  of  Discipline,  that  it  may  be  regularly  laid 
before  this  body;  and  that  they  further  express  their 
willingness  to  be  connected  with  the  Presbytery  from 


*Dr.  Girardeau  did  not  add  "John"  to  his  name  until  after  he 
became  a  minister.  He  made  this  addition  with  his  father's  consent, 
and  for  the  reason  that  he  did  not  lilie  the  name  "Lafayette." 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


29 


whom  they  seek  Mr.  Girardeau  as  their  pastor.  All 
obstacles  interposed  by  our  constitution  being  thus 
removed,  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  will  be  called  with  as 
little  delay  as  possible  for  the  ordination  and  installa- 
tion of  Mr.  Girardeau  as  pastor  of  said  church.'  This 
report  was  accepted  and  Mr.  Girardeau  was  requested 
to  communicate  it  to  the  church." 

As  a  result  of  this  action  the  Wilton  Church  asked 
to  be  received  under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery,  and 
also  made  out  its  call  for  Mr.  Girardeau  in  due  form. 
The  Presbytery  met  at  Wilton  Church  on  June  6,  1850. 
There  were  present  the  Reverend  Messrs.  A.  A.  Porter, 
J.  B.  Adger,  J.  Douglas,  and  Ferdinand  Jacobs,  with 
Elders  Hugh  Wilson,  William  Barral,  A.  Campbell 
and  Hawkins   S.  King.     After  his  examination  and 
trial    parts    had    been    sustained,    a    committee    was 
appointed  to  provide  for  his  ordination  and  installa- 
tion.    The   records   of    the    Presbytery    say:     "After 
recess  the  Presbytery  came  to  order  and  the  committee 
of  arrangements  reported  the  following  order  of  exer- 
cises for  ordination,  which  was  adopted  and  is  as  fol- 
lows :    The  moderator.  Rev.  Ferdinand  Jacobs,  to  pre- 
side, propose  the  constitutional  questions  and  make  the 
prayer  of  ordination;  Rev.  A.  A.  Porter  to  preach  the 
sermon ;  Rev.  J.  B.  Adger  to  give  the  charge  to  the  pas- 
tor, and  the  Rev.  John  Douglas  to  give  the  charge  to 
the  people."    This  order  was  carried  out  on  the  follow- 
ing morning,  June  9,  1850. 

He  remained  pastor  of  Wilton  Church  for  three 
years,  preaching  in  the  morning  to  the  white  people 
and  ordinarily  to  the  colored  people  in  the  afternoon  at 
one  of  the  nearby  plantations,  and  then  again  in  the 
evening  to  the  whites  at  the  village,  about  two  miles 
from  the  church. 


30  The  Life  Work  of 

In  addition  to  all  of  this  preaching  he  found  time  to 
study.  In  1851  he  was  appointed  to  preach  to  the  Pres- 
bytery on  "Justification."  In  the  same  year  he  was 
placed  on  the  committee  to  examine  on  Theology.  And 
in  1852  he  was  elected  moderator  of  the  Presbytery. 

In  November,  1853,  two  calls  were  made  for  his  ser- 
vices, one  from  Columbus,  Ga.,  and  the  other  to  take 
charge  of  the  work  for  the  negroes  in  Anson  Street, 
Charleston,  S.  C.  He  visited  Columbus  first,  where  his 
sermon  gave  great  pleasure  to  the  whole  congregation. 
One  of  the  elders,  thinking  that  it  was  too  good  a  ser- 
mon for  so  young  a  man,  asked  him  if  it  was  entirely 
original.  That  settled  the  question  in  so  far  as  Colum- 
bus was  concerned. 

The  Anson  Street,  Charleston,  work  appealed  to  him, 
for  he  had  already  had  great  success  in  his  work  with 
the  negroes.  His  heart  went  out  to  them,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  accept  the  call. 


CHAPTER  III 


WORK  AMONG  THE  NEGROES 

By  Edward  C.  Jones. 

Eev.  Dr.  John  B.  Adger  having  returned  from  his 
Smyrna  Mission,  the  Second  Presb^-terian  Church 
arranged  to  transfer  their  negro  membership  to  him  in 
a  separate  church  building.  The  Anson  Street  edifice 
was  erected  with  ReA\  Dr.  Adger  in  charge — the 
negroes  still  retaining  their  membership  under  the 
care  of  Rev.  Dr.  Smyth,  it  being  the  hope  that  the 
African  race  at  large  would  be  attracted  to  this  mis- 
sion, but  the  work  was  not  a  success.  In  1852  Rev.  Dr. 
Post  took  a  summer  vacation  and  Rev.  Dr.  Girardeau 
was  engaged  to  fill  the  Circular  Church  pulpit.*  Dur- 
ing these  services  quite  a  number  were  attracted  to  the 
ministrations  of  Dr.  Girardeau,  and  thus  opened  the 
way  for  his  usefulness  in  Charleston.  Rev.  Dr.  Adger 
concluding  to  withdraw  from  his  mission  work.  Dr. 
Girardeau  was  induced  to  take  charge  of  this  work,  but 
with  their  negro  membership  still  remaining  under 
Rev.  Dr.  Smyth's  church.  To  assist  Dr.  Girardeau,  a 
call  was  made  from  the  several  Presbyterian  churches 
for  two  white  members  from  each  to  unite  with  Dr. 
Girardeau's  work.  No  response  was  made,  with  the 
exception  of  myself,  and  while  my  membership  was  in 
the  Central  Presbyterian  Church,  I  was  set  aside  to 
unite  with  Dr.  Girardeau's  mission  work,  to  which  I 
became  devotedly  attached  so  that  I  regularl}^  attended 


'A  well-known  independent  church. 


32^  The  Life  Work  of 

the  two  weekly  night  meetings  and  the  three  Sabbath 
services,  and  in  addition,  Dr.  Girardeau  spent  an  even- 
ing each  week  at  my  house  to  mature  plans  for  carrying 
on  the  work.  It  soon  became  evident  that  with  the  negro 
membership  retained  in  the  Second  Church,  there 
could  be  no  growth.  After  Dr.  Girardeau  brought  the 
matter  before  the  Church,  since  it  was  agreed  that  the 
Anson  Street  Mission  should  be  detached  from  the 
parent  Church,  and  a  call  was  made  for  negro  mem- 
bers, thirty-six  joined  the  new  organization.  The 
wisdom  of  this  change  was  soon  evident.  With  a 
steady  growth  the  membership  was  divided  into  classes, 
each  under  a  proper  leader.  The  sick,  with  a  sick  fund, 
were  regularly  looked  after.  The  energetic  work  of 
Dr.  Girardeau,  at  the  Bible  weekly  instruction,  led 
the  leading  negroes  of  other  churches  to  admit  that  the 
Anson  Street  work  was  "c»/  the  Lord.^' 

Thus,  starting  with  the  thirty-six  members  in  1854, 
there  was  in  1860  over  six  hundred  enrolled  members, 
with  a  regular  congregation  of  1,500  attendance. 

With  this  large  increase,  one  of  the  great  difficulties 
in  the  work  was  the  ambition  of  the  leaders,  who,  by 
their  energ}^  and  influence,  would  bring  in  new  mem- 
bers, thus  adding  to  their  individual  classes  so  that  one 
would  have  a  hundred  or  more,  while  other  leaders, 
without  gifts  or  opportunity,  would  have  few  in  num- 
ber. This  would  give  great  power  to  certain  men,  and 
thus  in  a  measure  hamper  the  preacher.  After  much 
study  it  was  arranged  that  every  class  would  have 
twenty  regular  members  especially  under  the  care  of  a 
leader,  with  an  addition  of  another  twenty  under  an 
assistant  leader.* 


♦This  was  an  amendment  of  the  rules  of  membership  or  a  mistake 
of  memory. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  33 

When  this  membership  reached  the  second  twenty, 
and  the  assistant  leader  prove  acceptable  as  to  character 
and  gifts,  they  would  become  a  regular  class  under  his 
full  charge.  Thus  every  leader  would  have  free  scope 
for  the  extra  growth  of  members,  but  their  number 
would  never  exceed  forty.  By  this  plan  ample  field  was 
given  to  the  ambition  and  energy  of  the  leaders,  with 
assistants  in  regular  training  for  service.  This  plan  was 
found  to  work  with  perfect  success,  and  had  the  war 
not  closed  the  mission.  Dr.  Girardeau  could  have  man- 
aged two  thousand  as  easily  as  two  hundred  members. 

When  the  mission  was  well  under  way  there  was  a 
large  growth  of  white  attendants  who  occupied  the 
side  seats  next  the  pulpit.  Dr.  Girardeau's  gifts  as  a 
preacher,  and  his  skill  in  congregational  music, 
increased  the  Sabbath  afternoon  and  night  services, 
but  his  management  of  the  choir  was  subject  to  much 
trouble.  The  leader  of  the  choir,  in  order  to  give  a 
better  field  for  his  select  singers,  insisted  on  the  con- 
trol of  the  tunes,  thus  restraining  the  freedom  of  the 
congregation  in  singing.  Hoping  to  meet  this  diffi- 
culty, the  leader  being  gifted  for  the  work,  Dr.  Girar- 
deau made  a  contract  with  him,  paying  ten  dollars  per 
month  if  he  would  use  the  tunes  that  Dr.  Girardeau 
selected.  This  was  agreed  to,  but  after  several  months 
he  notified  Dr.  Girardeau  that  he  would  rather  give 
up  the  money  and  control  the  tunes  himself.  In 
many  cases  Dr.  Girardeau  was  forced  to  lead  the  sing- 
ing himself  and  thus  force  the  choir  to  terms. 

During  the  great  revival  a  large  number  of  whites 
and  blacks  were  brought  to  Christ  and  it  soon  became 
evident  that  the  building  must  be  enlarged.  About  this 
time  Col.  C.  G.  Memmenger  attended  one  of  the  services, 
and  the  day  following  he  sent  for  me.     During  my 


34:  The  Life  Work  of 

call  he  said,  "I  have  been  very  much  impressed  with 
Mr.  Girardeau's  intellectual  power  as  a  preacher,  and 
while  he  has  great  and  special  gifts  in  reaching  the 
uneducated  negro,  I  want  to  say  to  you,  as  his  friend, 
that  he  is  doing  himself  a  great  injury  in  his  efforts  to 
bring  down  his  mental  gifts  to  the  capacity  of  his  peo- 
ple, and  unless  he  can  have  some  suitable  field  his  intel- 
lectual power  as  a  preacher  will  be  seriously  impaired." 
I  reported  this  to  Dr.  Girardeau,  to  which  he 
responded,  "I  know  it,  and  feel  that  I  waste  much  of 
my  mental  growth  and  much  valuable  time  in  preach- 
ing at  the  morning  service  where  the  attendance  is  so 
small;  if  I  had  a  morning  white  audience  I  would  be 
able  to  use  my  studies,  which  I  am  now  forced  to  dilute 
to  meet  the  negro  mind."  A  good  providence  soon 
responded  to  the  need  of  the  hour.  In  a  few  weeks  I 
was  sent  for  by  Mr.  Robert  Adger,  and  to  my  utter 
surprise  he  said,  "I  want  you  to  approach  Mr.  Girar- 
deau on  a  matter  that  I  do  not  know  how  he  will 
receive.  I  am  satisfied  that  Mr.  Girardeau  greatly 
needs  a  larger  building,  and  since  his  revival  services 
I  find  it  is  my  duty  to  place  my  children  under  Mr. 
Girardeau's  teaching;  and.  if  it  is  possible.  I  want  to 
join  his  Mission  Church.  I  find  that  Mr.  Alex  Camp- 
bell, F.  D.  Fanning,  J.  S.  Chambers,  and  my  brother, 
Joe  Adger,  have  made  up  their  mind  to  leave  Dr. 
Smyth's  church  and,  if  possible,  unite  with  that  of 
Dr.  Girardeau.  We  want  you  to  approach  him  on 
the  subject,  and  if  he  will  accede  we  will  build  him  a 
large  church  building  where  he  can  give  us  the  morn- 
ing service.  It  is  likely,  however,  that  Mr.  Girardeau 
will  resist  our  leaving  Dr.  Smyth's  church,  and  he 
may  feel  that  it  will  interfere  with  his  negro  work." 
I  saw  Mr.  Girardeau  at  once,  and  on  laying  the  matter 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  35 

before  him,  he  at  once  said,  "If  this  plan  proposes  in 
any  way  to  interfere  with  our  negro  work,  I  will 
never  agree  to  their  proposition."  I  pressed  upon 
him  Colonel  Memmenger's  view — the  need  of  the 
church  being  self-supporting — and  the  influence  of  a 
regular  church  organization.  He  at  once  accepted  this 
plan,  provided  the  negro  element  was  assured.  All 
matters  being  arranged  to  his  satisfaction,  Mr.  Adger 
erected  at  once  a  building  on  Calhoun  Street  80  by  100 
feet,  one-half  of  the  first  story  being  given  to  the 
whites,  the  other  half  to  the  prayer  meeting  of  the 
negroes,  and  the  upi^er  floor  given  wholly  to  the  negroes, 
except  the  side  pews  and  one  of  the  galleries  to  the 
whites,  the  other  gallery  being  for  the  overflow  of  the 
negroes. 

The  church  was  now  regularly  organized  with 
elders  and  deacons — and  up  to  the  war  there  was  a 
steady  growth  of  both  whites  and  blacks — with  all 
machinery  for  the  manao^ement  of  the  larofe  neffro  con- 
gregation  so  perfect  that  success  was  assured  in  every 
department. 

In  order  to  show  Dr.  Girardeau's  own  view  of  the 
work  in  its  early  stages,  his  report  to  the  Charleston 
Presbytery  in  1857  will  be  added  as  a  close  to  this  part 
of  the  chapter. 

"As  the  Missionary  in  charge  of  the  Anson-Street 
Coloured  Church,  I  beg  leave  respectfully  to  present 
to  the  Presbytery  a  report  of  my  labours  during  the 
past  year,  and  of  the  jDresent  condition  and  prospects 
of  the  enterprise. 

"It  appears  that  the  opinion  expressed  with  caution 
in  last  year's  Report,  that  the  Mission  was  then  mani- 
festing an  upward  tendency,  was  not  unfounded.  I 
would  now,  with  gratitude  to  God,  mention  the  fact, 


36  The  Life  AVork  of 

that  the  Church  has  received,  during  the  past  year, 
encouraging  tokens  of  the  Divine  favour;  and  that  it 
is  now  in  a  much  more  prosperous  condition  than  at 
any  previous  stage  of  its  history.  A  simple  statement 
of  facts  will  justify  this  opinion.  Since  the  Spring 
meeting  of  Presbytery  last  year,  six  persons  have  been 
received  into  the  communion  of  the  Church  by  certifi- 
cate, and  sixty-one  on  examination — sixty-seven  in  all. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  Presbyterial  year,  the 
number  of  communicants  was  eighty-eight.  It  is  now 
one  hundred  and  forty-five.  In  May,  1855,  the  Church 
was  established,  with  a  membership  of  forty-eight.  It 
thus  appears  that,  in  two  years,  after  deducting 
removals,  the  number  of  communicants  has  been 
trebled. 

"During  the  year,  we  have  held  two  protracted  meet- 
ings, which  were  conducted  in  a  regular  and  orderly 
manner,  and  resulted  in  great  apparent  good.  One  has 
just  been  concluded,  having  lasted  for  a  fortnight,  and 
at  its  close  thirteen  inquirers  applied  for  instruction 
preparatory  to  admission.  There  are  now  about  thirty 
on  the  list  of  candidates,  and  more  applications  are 
expected.  During  the  year,  five  members  have  been 
dismissed  by  certificates ;  two  have  left  without  having 
obtained  certificates ;  two  have  been  removed  by  death ; 
and  two  have  been  excommunicated  for  infidelity  to 
the  marriage  covenant.  One  of  those  who  died,  had 
been  for  several  years  a  bed-ridden  paralytic.  He  regu- 
larly received  from  the  charity  fund  of  the  church  one 
dollar  a  week,  making  an  annuity  of  fifty-two  dollars. 
This  fact  exhibits  the  care  which  is  taken  of  poor  and 
needy  members,  and  the  result  which  follows  from  a 
regular  weekly  collection  made  up,  though  each  may 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  37 

be,    of    driblets.     The    amount    of    contributions,    to 
various  purposes,  is  shown  in  the  Statistical  Report. 

"The  stated  attendance  upon  worship  is  good.  The 
building  is  usually  filled,  and  sometimes  it  is  difficult 
for  a  portion  of  the  congregation  to  obtain  seats.  Dur- 
ing the  protracted  meeting,  to  which  allusion  has  been 
made  as  having  been  recently  held,  the  house  was  filled 
to  overflowing.  The  portion  of  the  building  appro- 
priated to  the  coloured  congregation,  was  wholly  insuf- 
ficient to  accommodate  them ;  so  that  they  were  forced 
to  occupy  most  of  the  seats  appropriated  to  the  whites, 
and  even  then  there  were  some  standing  without  at 
the  doors.  Taking  these  circumstances  into  connexion 
with  the  fact  that  the  building  itself  is  but  ill  adapted 
to  the  purposes  of  the  enterprize,  and,  in  the  judgment 
of  many,  unsuitably  located,  it  would  be  better  if  it 
could  be  disposed  of  and  another  and  more  complete 
edifice  erected.  The  interests  of  the  Church  would,  no 
doubt,  be  subserved  by  the  change. 

'•The  weekly  Prayer-meeting,  which  two  or  three 
years  ago  was  very  thinly  attended,  has  gradually 
increased  in  numbers,  until  recently  the  room  which 
has  hitherto  been  used  for  the  purpose,  has  been  found 
too  strait,  and  we  have  been  forced  to  alandon  it  and 
hold  the  meetings  in  the  main  building.  This  can  not 
but  be  regarded  as  a  favourable  indication.  If  the 
people  are  abundant  in  prayers,  the  Church  will  not 
suffer. 

"The  attendance  on  the  Sabbath  School  has  been 
fluctuating,  and  I  cannot  but  ascribe  its  halting  con- 
dition, in  great  measure,  to  the  want  of  a  suitable 
room. 

"On  the  whole,  the  prospects  of  the  Mission  are 
exceedingly  encouraging.    The  tide  of  popular  feeling, 


38  The  Life  Work  of 

among  the  coloured  people  generally,  seems  at  length 
to  be  setting  in  its  favour;  the  difficulties  and  embar- 
rassments which  have  hitherto  impeded  its  progress 
appear  to  be  gradually  vanishing,  and  I  see  no  reason 
why  they  should  not  fully  receive  the  Gospel,  and  if 
the  work  be  faithfully  prosecuted,  why  the  Church 
may  not,  with  the  Divine  blessing,  be  made  a  vehicle 
of  incalculable  blessing  to  the  coloured  people  of 
Charleston,  and  become  a  joy  and  a  praise  in  the  com- 
munity. 

"If  the  Presbytery  will  indulge  me,  I  will  submit 
some  remarks  touching  the  principle  upon  which  the 
Anson-Street  enterprize  has  been  conducted.  There 
have  always  been  some  who  have  objected  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  separate  Churches  for  the  benefit  of  the 
coloured  people.  Their  opposition  has,  perhaps,  in 
most  instances,  been  based  on  a  misconception  of  the 
nature  and  operation  of  the  plan.  I  propose  to  present 
a  few  considerations  in  favour  of  what,  for  convenience 
sake,  has  been  termed  the  'Separate  System,'  and  to 
discuss  the  prominent  objections  which  have  been 
urged  against  it. 

"1.  The  first  argument  which  may  be  mentioned  in 
favour  of  that  scheme  is,  the  accommodation  of 
instruction  to  the  wants  and  the  tastes  of  the  coloured 
people  which  is  secured  by  it. 

"Unless  they  understand  the  Gospel,  they  cannot 
embrace  it ;  and  unless  they  embrace  it,  they  cannot  be 
saved.  The  question  is,  whether,  on  the  ordinary  plan 
of  our  Churches,  especially  in  cities,  the  Gospel  is 
imparted  to  them  as  fully  and  effectually  as  it  may  be 
on  the  separate  plan.  From  the  nature  of  the  case,  it 
cannot  be.  There  may  be  some  instances  in  which,  by 
extraordinary  exertion,  and  by  means  of  extra  services, 


John  L.  Gir^vrdeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  39 

pastors  succeed  in  imparting  to  them  the  Gospel  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  be  understood  by  them.  These 
cases,  however,  are  rare.  The  amount  of  labour 
required  is  too  much  for  most  men,  and  for  the  sort 
of  labour  demanded,  many  are  unsuited.  To  meet  the 
necessities  of  both  whites  and  blacks,  in  the  same  ser- 
vice, is  ordinarily  impossible.  He  who  pleases  one 
class  fails  to  please  the  other.  If  he  gratifies  the  taste 
of  the  whites,  the  blacks  do  not  understand  him;  and 
if  he  preaches  so  as  to  be  comprehended  by  the  blacks,, 
the  expectations  of  the  whites  are  disappointed.  The 
'separate  plan'  meets  and  resolves  this  difficulty.  The 
minister  is  devoted  to  the  instruction  of  the  coloured 
people,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not 
fully  receive  the  Gospel.  Shall  we  retain  the  old  plan^ 
at  the  risk  of  allowing  the  blacks  to  remain  in  com- 
parative ignorance  of  the  Gospel,  or,  by  establishing 
separate  congregations,  communicate  it  to  them  in  all 
its  fullness  ?  The  question  is  a  vital  one.  The  interests 
of  their  souls  are  involved.  Their  first  great  w^ant  is 
the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Have  it  they 
must,  or  perish  in  their  sins.  The  'separate  system' 
meets  this  urgent  necessity.  Unless,  therefore,  it  can 
be  shown  that  it  is  exposed  to  fatal  objections,  must 
we  not  conclude  that  it  is  the  plan  upon  which,  as 
Southern  Christians,  we  must  prosecute  the  work  of 
evangelizing  the  coloured  population? 

"2.  The  second  argument  which  may  be  alleged  in 
favour  of  the  'separate  plan'  is,  that  it  is  the  only  one 
now  in  existence  upon  which  the  blacks  can  experience 
the  full  benefit  of  pastoral  labour. 

"Besides  preaching  the  Gospel,  the  other  functions  of 
a  pastor  are  catechizing,  visiting,  administering  rule 
and  discipline,  and  performing  marriage  and  funeral 


40  The  Life  Work  of 

ceremonies.  Now,  on  the  ordinary  plan  of  our 
Churches,  how  much  of  the  labour  involved  in  the 
discharge  of  these  functions  is  overtaken?  Facts 
would  answer,  but  little.  The  system  is  more  to  blame 
than  the  pastor.  Can  a  man  discharge  his  duties  to  a 
large  white  congregation,  and  at  the  same  time  per- 
form the  labour  required  in  catechizing  coloured  can- 
didates for  Church  membership  as  they  should  be, 
visiting  the  coloured  sick  and  poor,  performing  funeral 
and  marriage  ceremonies,  and,  above  all,  investigating 
and  deciding  the  numerous  and  tangled  cases  of  dis- 
cipline which  are  ever  arising?  He  cannot,  simply 
because  he  is  human.  But,  are  these  duties  to  be  neg- 
lected? Adopt  the  'separate  system.'  and  the  diffi- 
culties, in  a  great  measure,  vanish.  There  is  a  division 
of  labour,  and  the  work  may  be  compassed. 

"3.  The  third  argument  in  support  of  the  'separate 
plan'  is,  that  ampler  accommodation  is  afforded  to 
the  coloured  people  in  attending  worship.  On  the  old 
plan,  room  is  wanted.  The  space  allotted  to  them  is 
insufficient.  An  appeal  to  facts  would  sustain  this 
position.  Even  the  members  of  some  Churches,  were 
they  to  attempt  to  be  present  at  the  same  service, 
would  fail  to  be  accommodated  with  seats.  What 
becomes  of  the  unconverted?  Are  they  to  be  excluded 
from  hearing  the  Gospel,  from  lack  of  room  in  our 
church  edifices?  Adopt  the  'separate  system,'  and 
room  enough  is  easily  furnished.  In  view  of  these 
facts,  it  becomes  a  serious  question  whether  we  are  not 
driven,  by  a  sheer  sense  of  duty,  to  the  erection  of  sep- 
arate hou5-es  of  worship  for  the  coloured  population. 
There  will  always  be  some  who  will  prefer  to  worship 
with  the  whites.  Let  their  wishes  be  gratified  in  that 
respect;  but  every  consideration  of  duty  and  charity 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  41 

would  impel  us  to  give  the  Gospel  to  those  who  never 
visit  our  white  Churches,  and  who  could  not  statedly 
do  it,  if  they  would.  It  does  seem  to  be  a  case  in 
which  there  is  no  election.  We  ought  to  do  it,  or  essen- 
tially madify  our  present  system,  so  as  to  meet  the 
difficulty.  Otherwise,  shall  we  not  be  chargeable  with 
neglecting  to  make  provision  for  the  spiritual  wants  of 
a  large  portion  of  our  coloured  population?  We  hesi- 
tate not  to  institute  missionary  arrangements  contem- 
plating the  benefit  of  destitute  whites ;  why  not  do  the 
same  for  destitute  blacks? 

"4.  A  fourth  argument  which  may  be  adduced  in 
favour  of  the  establishment  of  separate  Churches  for 
the  coloured  people  served  hy  white  Ministers  is,  that 
they  prove  a  bar  to  the  collection  of  such  congrega- 
tions under  the  supervision  and  control  of  ignorant 
coloured  men.  The  necessity,  under  existing  circum- 
stances, for  separate  Churches  is  and  must  be  felt; 
and  in  some  Southern  cities,  this  felt  necessity  has  led 
to  the  establishment  of  such  congregations  as  we  have 
mentioned  last.  In  these  cases,  good  may  be  done,  but 
it  is  mingled  with  much  evil.  These  congregations  are 
served  very  generally  by  uneducated  men,  and  where 
the  blind  lead  the  blind,  both  fall  into  the  ditch.  Let 
the  former  plan  be  adopted,  and  the  demand  for  the 
latter  will  cease  to  exist.  The  Gospel  will  be  preached 
to  the  masses  of  the  coloured  people,  and  preached 
with  ability  and  wisdom. 

"To  the  erection  of  separate  Churches  for  the  benefit 
of  the  blacks,  sundry  objections  have  been  raised, 
which  I  propose  briefly  to  consider. 

"1.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  urged  that  it  is  inexpedient 
to  separate  masters  and  servants  in  the  worship  of 
God;  that  the  'separate  system'  fails  to  sanctify  their 


42  The  Life  Work  of 

relation  to  each  other ;  and  that  it  is  a  departure  from 
the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  to  deal  with  men  apart  from 
any  of  the  great  relations  of  life  which  they  sustain. 

"In  order  to  maintain  this  objection,  two  things  must 
be  shown :  first,  that  what  is  charged  upon  the  separate 
system  as  not  done  by  it,  is  actually  accomplished  on 
the  ordinary  mixed  plan  of  our  Churches;  and  sec- 
ondly, that  this  is  not  done  under  the  former  scheme. 
Now,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  we  should  consult 
facts,  and  not  hypotheses,  in  reference  to  this  whole 
question.  If  the  actual  condition  of  the  Churches  is 
not  the  subject  of  discussion,  then  the  discussion  itself 
is  gratuitous  and  fruitless.  Let  it  be  observed,  that  it 
is  assumed  that  on  the  'mixed  plan,'  masters  and  ser- 
vants do  worship  together,  and  that  their  relation  is 
thus  palpably  brought  under  a  sanctifying  influence. 
Now,  if  the  common  worship  of  the  two  classes,  whites 
and  blacks^  be  conceived  to  be  the  same  thing  as  the 
common  worship  of  masters  and  servants^  then  we 
admit  that  the  objection  is  not  without  some  basis  of 
fact.  It  is  granted,  of  course,  that  whites  and  blacks 
worship  together  on  the  mixed  plan,  and  consequently, 
that  their  relation  to  each  other  as  distinct  social 
classes,  as  bond  and  free,  is  affected  by  the  influences  of 
that  common  worship.  But  there  is  more  of  conjec- 
ture than  of  fact  in  the  assumption  that  on  the  mixed 
plan,  masters  and  servants,  as  such,  worship  together. 
The  fact,  upon  examination,  may  appear  to  be  other- 
wise; that  is,  plainly,  that  masters  and  servants  do 
not  ordinarily,  particularly  in  cities,  attend  the  same 
services.  Masters  worship  with  other  men's  sei^^ants. 
and  servants  worship  with  other  men's  masters.  The 
relation,  in  the  abstract,  may  be  affected  by  the  com- 
mon worship  of  the  classes,  bond  and  free,  but  in  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  43 


concrete,  it  is  not  alwaj^s  subjected  to  the  influence  of 
such  common  worship.  This  point  is  thus  dwelt  on, 
because  it  is  taken  for  granted  that  the  master  and 
servant  habitually  meet  in  the  same  Church,  and  par- 
ticipate in  the  same  religious  services.  The  master 
looks  up  into  the  gallery  and  sees  his  servant  there, 
and  the  servant  looks  down  and  sees  his  master  there. 
Of  course  this  is  beautiful.  The  relation  is  eminently 
patriarchal.  A  pity  though  it  be  to  handle  roughly  so 
pretty  a  theory,  still  the  plain  fact  is,  that  ordinarily, 
it  is  not  so.  Where  a  choice  exists,  masters  and  ser- 
vants are  very  generally  found  in  different  Churches. 
In  support  of  this  remark,  an  appeal  may  be  taken 
to  experience  and  observation.  The  fact,  it  may  be 
observed  incidentally,  is  mainly  the  result  of  that  large 
and  unrestricted  freedom  in  religious  matters,  which 
is  granted  by  masters  to  their  servants.  The  prefer- 
ence of  most  servants  for  other  Churches  than  those 
in  which  their  masters  worship,  is  not  to  be  conceived 
as  resulting  altogether  from  their  wish  to  avoid  asso- 
ciation with  them  in  worship,  but  partly  from  a  love 
of  novelty,  a  passion  for  change,  and  partly  from  the 
fact  that  the  Churches  which  are  popular  with  them, 
are  not  always  so  with  their  masters.  That  we  are  not 
altogether  wrong  in  assigning  these  causes  for  the 
preference  above  mentioned,  is  evinced  by  the  fact  that 
where  no  choice  of  Churches  exists,  as  in  some  parts 
of  the  country,  they  attend  of  their  own  accord  and  in 
great  numbers,  the  Churches  where  their  masters  wor- 
ship. XoAv,  if  there  is  not  such  a  community  of  Avor- 
ship  betwixt  masters  and  servants,  as  is  assumed  to 
characterize  the  mixed  plan,  then  it  is  obviously  unfair 
to  regard  its  absence  from  the  separate  plan  as  a  vital 
defect  peculiar  to  it.    Our  duty  is  clear  to  furnish  the 


44  The  Life  Work  of 

Gospel  to  the  coloured  people.  If  that  can  be  done 
most  thoroughly  on  the  separate  plan,  we  ought  not 
to  be  deterred  from  doing  it  by  an  hypothesis  more 
beautiful  than  substantial.  It  is  not  intended  to  deny 
that  there  is  to  a  certain  extent^  a  common  worship  of 
masters  and  servants  on  the  mixed  plan,  but  attention 
is  called  to  the  fact  that  this  is  not  the  ordinary  rule. 
In  the  city  of  Charleston,  for  example,  there  are  about 
six  thousand  coloured  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  It  may  be  questioned,  whether  one- 
sixth  of  that  number  are  servants  of  Methodist  mas- 
ters. 

"It  deserves  to  be  remarked,  moreover,  that  the  'sep- 
arate plan'  is  not  justly  liable  to  the  objection  of  sep- 
arating the  bond  and  free  in  the  worship  of  God.  The 
plan  does  not  contemplate  the  complete  separation  of 
the  coloured  people  from  the  whites.  Nor  does  such 
a  separation  take  place  in  fact.  With  a  pure  separate 
system,  the  argument  has  nothing  to  do.  That  is  not 
the  separate  system  which  is  contemplated  in  theory, 
and  exists  in  fact.  It  is  not  fair,  therefore,  to  attach 
consequences  to  the  plan  that  actually  obtains,  which 
could  only  legitimately  flow  from  another  and  a  merely 
hypothetical  scheme.  Now,  the  fact  is,  that  whites  and 
blacks,  bond  and  free,  do  ordinarily  worship  together 
on  the  separate  plan.  A  class-worship,  as  it  is  called, 
is  not  produced.  More  than  this,  the  sympathy 
between  the  two  classes,  on  this  plan,  is  even  more  per- 
fect than  on  the  mixed,  because  the  community  of  wor- 
shi])  is  more  distinctly  felt.  They  sit  on  the  same  floor, 
and  during  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
are  served  at  the  same  time.  This  is  not  generally  the 
case,  under  the  operation  of  the  mixed  system.  So  far, 
therefore,  from  its  being  the  fact  that  the  bond  and 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  45 

free  are  separated  on  the  so-called  separate  plan,  the 
truth  is,  that  they  are  brought  into  a  closer  association 
and  a  warmer  sympathy.  There  is  the  same  oppor- 
tunity, too,  for  the  common  worship  of  masters  and 
servants,  as  on  the  mixed  plan,  though  not  perhaps  to 
the  same  numerical  extent.  If  it  be  urged  that  there 
is  a  disproportion  of  the  numbers  of  the  whites  to 
those  of  the  blacks  on  the  separate  plan,  the  answer  is 
obvious.  The  argument  proves  too  much,  for  there  is 
very  often  an  equal  disproportion  of  blacks  to  whites 
in  our  mixed  Churches. 

"To  sum  up  the  matter,  it  is  perceived  that  the 
alleged  superiority  of  the  mixed  to  the  separate  plan, 
on  the  ground  that  the  former  secures  a  community 
of  worship  between  masters  and  servants,  and  tends 
to  sanctify  their  relation  to  each  other,  while  the  latter 
does  not,  vanishes  in  a  great  measure  under  the  appli- 
cation of  the  touchstone  of  fact.  It  is  seen,  upon  exam- 
ination, that  the  separate  system  does  not  dissociate 
the  bond  and  the  free  in  the  solemn  offices  of  religion, 
and  is  not,  therefore,  justly  liable  to  the  objection 
which  has  just  been  considered. 

"If,  however,  it  be  contended  that  there  is,  on  the 
separate  plan,  an  exclusive  appropriation  of  the  ser- 
vices to  the  benefit  of  the  coloured  people,  which  ren- 
ders it  impracticable  to  inculcate  on  both  classes,  in 
each  other's  presence,  their  relative  duties,  it  may  be 
replied,  that  if  it  be  a  fact  that  both  classes  are  gen- 
erally present  in  the  so-called  separate  congregations, 
then  there  is  no  reason  why  the  preacher  should  not 
address  each  class  whenever  he  judges  it  proper  to 
insist  on  the  sj^ecific  duties  of  masters  and  servants. 
He  is  not  bound.    The  opportunity  exists,  and  he  may 


46  The  Life  Work  of 

use  it,  and  use  it  as  freely  as  in  the  ordinary  mixed 
congregations. 

"The  objection  which  has  thus  been  considered,  is  not 
without  importance,  because  it  proceeds  on  the  suppo- 
sition that  the  establishment  of  separate  Churches  for 
the  blacks  is  inconsistent  with  the  temper  of  the  Gos- 
pel and  the  genius  of  Southern  institutions.  A  candid 
investigation  of  the  facts  in  the  case  will,  however, 
remove  the  ground  of  the  objection,  and  thus  leave  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  the  blacks  less  hampered, 
and  the  field  of  evangelical  operations  among  them 
less  restricted. 

"2.  Another  objection  which  has  been  urged  against 
the  separate  plan  is,  that  under  its  operation,  discipline 
is  administered  altogether  by  one  class  to  another,  and 
thus  an  invidious  distinction  is  drawn  between  the 
bond  and  the  free,  a  distinction  which  the  nature  of 
the  Gospel  will  hardly  justify. 

"This  difficulty  is  evacuated  of  force  by  the  consid- 
eration that  the  same  thing,  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses, obtains  in  mixed  Churches.  In  them,  the  power 
to  govern  and  to  administer  discii3line  is  confined 
exclusively  to  the  whites.  The  blacks  may  be  the  sub- 
jects, they  never  are  the  dispensers  of  rule.  Whenever, 
therefore,  in  mixed  Churches,  discipline  is  adminis- 
tered to  coloured  members,  it  is  invariably  exercised 
by  one  class  towards  another.  It  makes  very  little  dif- 
ference that  white  members  are  subject  to  the  same 
exercise  of  discipline,  and  that  the  coloured  man  does 
not  feel  oppressed  by  the  application  of  a  rule  which 
he  knows  to  be  equally  extended  to  whites.  The  fact 
that  the  white  members  of  Churches  are  subject  to  dis- 
cipline, is  known  to  the  coloured  members  of  separate 
congregations.     They  surely  have  intelligence  enough 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  47 

to  perceive  that  the  application  of  discipline  is  not 
confined  merely  to  themselves,  and  that  the  reason 
why  it  does  not  terminate  on  Avhite  people  in  their 
Churches,  is  simply  because  there  are  no  white  people 
there. 

"In  short,  the  animus  of  Southern  institutions  neces- 
sarily pervades  the  Churches,  whether  based  on  the 
mixed  or  the  separate  plan;  and  the  fact  that  dis- 
cipline is  administered  by  one  class  to  another  in  both 
sorts  of  Churches,  is  but  the  necessary  result  of  the 
influence  of  civil  society  ujDon  the  constitution  of  the 
Church. 

"3.  A  third  objection  which  is  frequently  advanced 
against  the  establishment  of  separate  Churches  for  the 
coloured  people  is,  that  the  poor  are  segregated  from 
the  Christian  congregations,  and  collected  into  isolated 
communities.  It  is  contended  that  this  is  contrary  to 
the  genius  of  Christianity,  which  contemplates  the  per- 
petual presence  of  the  poor  in  the  Churches,  and  that 
the  separation  entails  injury  upon  the  white  Churches, 
by  tending  to  foster  pride  and  exclusiveness,  and  to 
dwarf  the  graces  of  humility  and  love. 

"This  objection  is  grounded  on  a  two-fold  fallacy, 
which  a  little  observation  will  correct.  It  supposes, 
in  the  first  place,  that  none  hut  the  foor  worship  in 
these  'separate'  congregations ;  and  in  the  second  place, 
that  all  the  poor  would,  if  the  separate  system  were 
fully  adopted,  be  removed  from  the  ordinary  Churches. 

"The  first  supposition  is  met  by  the  fact  already  men- 
tioned, that  a  pure  separate  Church  is  a  figment,  and 
that  in  the  so-called  separate  congi'egations,  whites  and 
blacks,  bond  and  free,  rich  and  poor,  do  actually  min- 
gle in  Divine  worship.  The  rich  and  poor  do  meet 
together,  and  feel  their  common  relation  to  the  Lord, 


48  The  Life  Work  of 

the  Maker  of  them  all.  The  second  supposition  is 
overthrown  by  the  equally  obvious  fact,  that  there 
are  poor  whites  as  well  as  poor  blacks  in  every  Church, 
and  that  there  ever  will  be,  separate  congregations  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding,  some  coloured  folk  in 
every  white  Church.  One  would  suppose  from  the 
tenor  of  the  objection,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is 
pressed,  that  the  blacks  are  the  only  poor  in  the  coun- 
try, and  that  all  white  people  south  of  Mason  and 
Dixon's  are,  of  necessity,  nabobs.  If  all  the  coloured 
people  were  swept  away  by  a  plague,  or,  what  would 
be  equivalent,  by  transportation,  the  Church  would 
have  no  cause  to  lament  that  all  her  poor  had  gone, 
and  that  none  remained  to  call  out  her  sympathy,  and 
deplete  her  purse.  It  seems,  too,  rather  strange  that 
the  blacks  should  be  emphatically  designated  as  the 
poor,  when  it  is  known  that  their  wants  are  as  well 
provided  for  as  those  of  half  the  white  population, 
and  provided  for  not  because  they  are  objects  of 
charity,  but  because  thej^  earn  their  bread  by  their 
labour.  Their  security  against  privation  is  guaran- 
teed by  the  interest  in  them  which  their  masters  must 
feel.  Let  those  who  urge  this  objection  inquire  upon 
whom  the  charities  of  the  Church  are  mainly  expended. 
Surely,  not  so  much  upon  the  blacks  as  the  poor  whites. 
If  the  blacks,  then,  are  gathered  into  separate  con- 
gregations, that  the  Gospel  may  be  given  them  in  its 
fullness,  does  that  rob  the  Churches  of  their  poor  ?  It 
is  clear  that  there  is  not,  and  cannot  be,  on  this  scheme, 
a  division  of  the  Church  into  the  two  distinct  and 
isolated  classes  of  rich  and  poor. 

"4.  A  fourth  objection  to  separate  Churches  for  the 
blacks  is,  that  their  constitution  is  ecclesiastically 
irregular;  that  our  form  of  government  does  not  con- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  49 

template  the  permanent  exercise  of  evangelistic  func- 
tions in  a  settled  community,  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
regularly  organized  Churches. 

"In  reference  to  this  difficulty,  which  deserves  consid- 
eration, it  may  be  replied  that  the  coloured  people 
virtually  constitute  a  frontier  settlement.  They  are, 
although  not  geographically,  yet  morally  and  intel- 
lectually, the  frontiers  of  society.  The  sjjint  of  our 
constitution  is  not  violated  by  imparting  to  them  the 
Gospel  through  the  labours  of  an  Evangelist;  and  as 
from  the  nature  of  the  case,  the}^  can  never  pass  out  of 
a  condition  of  ecclesiastical  minority,  the  necessity 
which  at  any  time  exists  for  that  sort  of  labour  among 
them,  must  always  exist. 

"The  fact  is,  that  the  Southern  Church  is  forced,  by 
the  nature  of  the  civil  society  in  which  she  is  pro- 
videntially 2:)laced,  to  institute  particular  arrangements 
adapted  to  her  exigencies.  They  should  not,  however, 
trench  upon  the  constitution.  She  is  warranted  in 
adopting  means  to  give  the  Gospel  to  the  blacks,  which, 
although  not  specifically  provided  for  in  the  constitu- 
tion, are  not  inconsistent  with  its  spirit.  Separate 
Churches  for  the  blacks  contemplating  the  permanent 
exercises  of  the  functions  of  the  Evangelist,  would  fall 
under  the  operation  of  this  principle. 

"5.  It  only  remains  briefly  to  consider  a  plan  by 
which  it  is  proposed  to  obviate  the  necessity  for  sepa- 
rate congregations. 

"An  ingenious  writer,  in  The  Southern.  Presbyterian^ 
is  of  opinion  that  the  obstacles  which  hinder  the  thor- 
ough cultivation  of  the  coloured  field  may  be  removed 
without  estal)lishing  separate  Churches,  by  restricting 
the  growth  of  our  ordinary  mixed  Churches,  and  thus 
rendering  it  practicable  for  pastors  to  compass  their 


50  The  Life  Work  of 

duties  both  to  whites  and  blacks.  He  contends  that  a 
Southern  Church  ought  not  to  expand  beyond  a  cer- 
tain point;  that  when  it  has  reached  that  point,  a 
colony  should  be  detailed  to  organize  a  new  Church. 
Now,  if  this  were  feasible,  if  the  growth  of  our 
Churches  could,  in  fact,  be  thus  arrested  at  a  given 
point,  and  if,  in  addition  to  this,  lay  labour  could  be 
called  in  to  an  effective  assistance  of  pastors,  why  then, 
perhaps,  as  he  intimates,  this  would  be  the  best  plan 
upon  which  to  constitute  a  Southern  Church.  The 
difficulty,  however,  lies  in  the  realization  of  this  idea; 
and  it  is  a  difficulty  which,  it  may  be  feared,  amounts 
to  an  impossibility.  The  question  at  once  arises 
whether  any  general  rule  securing  these  results  could 
be  established.  Every  one  knows  the  reluctance  of 
Churches  to  colonize.  There  seems  to  be  a  natural  ten- 
dency in  organized  bodies  to  perpetuate  themselves  and 
to  resist  all  attempts  to  diminish  their  corporate 
strength.  Popular  and  attractive  preaching,  more- 
over, combined  Avith  various  circumstances,  tends  to 
keep  a  large  congregation  together;  and,  after  all,  it 
is  very  generally  the  case,  that  even  a  small  white  con- 
gregation absorbs  the  attention  of  a  pastor,  to  the  com- 
jDarative  neglect  of  the  coloured  people. 

"The  consideration,  however,  which  presses  with 
most  weight  is,  that  it  is  necessary  that  something  be 
done,  and  that  speedily,  to  furnish  the  Gospel  to  the 
ignorant  and  perishing  sons  of  Ham.  and  to  bring  them 
to  the  knowledge  of  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.  We  can  ill  afford  to  wait  until  theories  are 
reduced  to  fact.  Meanwhile  souls  are  perishing,  and 
the  'separate  system'  presents  a  practicable  means  of 
giving  them  the  Gospel,  and  giving  it  to  them  with 
some   tolerable   efficiency.     We   are   not,   however,   so 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  51 

wedded  to  the  plan,  as  to  refuse  to  accept  a  more  excel- 
lent way.  If  such  a  way  can  be  pointed  out,  it  will  be 
our  duty,  as  well  as  privilege,  to  walk  therein. 

"In  the  remarks  which  have  been  made,  it  has  not 
been  intended  to  express  the  conviction  that  the  'sepa- 
rate plan'  is  absolutely  the  best  that  can  be  devised  for 
accomplishing  the  evangelization  of  the  coloured  peo- 
ple. It  may  be  that  some  such  plans  as  that  sug- 
gested by  the  writer  to  whom  we  have  alluded,  or  one 
which  would  admit  only  a  limited  number  of  whites, 
would  be  preferable.  The  question  can  only  be  deter- 
mined by  actual  experiment.  When  a  trial  of  the 
different  plans  shall  have  been  thoroughly  made,  we 
may  be  in  a  better  position  than  at  present  to  decide 
upon  the  best  method  of  evangelizing  the  coloured  peo- 
ple." 


Work  Among  the  Negroes— Part  II 

By  Joseph  B.  Mack,  D.  D. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  John  LaFayette  Girardeau  was 
remarkable  as  a  man,  and  pre-eminently  so  as  a  minis- 
ter. 

With  a  body  well  formed,  agile  and  vigorous,  with 
a  mind  clear,  broad,  patient  and  accurate,  with  emo- 
tions easily  touched,  which,  like  his  heart's  blood,  con- 
tinually enlivened  his  whole  being,  and  with  a  peculiar 
spiritual  experience  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the 
Apostle  Paul ;  he  was,  by  nature  and  by  grace,  divinely 
fitted  for  his  self-sacrificing  and  unique  work. 

He  was  Avonderfully  gifted  as  a  fastor.  So  tender 
and  so  sympathetic  was  he  with  the  afflicted;  so  cer- 
tain to  say  the  right  word  at  the  right  time  and  in  the 


52  The  Life  Work  of 

proper  place  that  many  felt,  as  one  of  his  people 
remarked,  ''He  appears  to  be  a  messenger  just  from 
God,  and  bringing  with  him  some  of  the  atmosphere  of 
heaven." 

He  was  also  wonderfully  gifted  as  a  teacher.  He  not 
only  gave  the  pupil  a  view  of  the  subject  in  its  entirety, 
but  also  presented  every  detail  of  importance.  As  one 
of  his  students  said.  "When  Dr.  Girardeau  is  through 
I  feel  that  the  whole  ground  has  been  covered  and  that 
nothing  more  need  be  said." 

But  he  was  most  wonderfully  gifted  as  a  preacher. 
The  pulpit  was  his  throne — its  prayers,  a  golden  scep- 
ter— its  sermon,  a  jewelled  crown.  To  preach  Jesus 
Christ  and  Him  crucified  was  the  ''one  thing"  of  his 
life,  his  chiefest  jo}^ — and  often  did  the  tones  of  his 
voice  so  reveal  this  highest  delight  of  his  heart  as  to 
make  the  melody  of  his  words  sound  as  sweetly  as  the 
echoes  of  the  morning. 

My  first  meeting  with  Dr.  Girardeau  was  in  1860  at 
the  residence  of  Rev.  Dr.  John  B.  Adger,  while  I  was 
a  student  in  the  Columbia  Theological  Seminary. 
Pointing  to  Dr.  Girardeau,  who  Avas  on  the  other  side 
of  the  room.  Dr.  Adger  emphatically  affirmed  to  sev- 
eral of  us,  ''There  is  the  Spurgeon  of  America,  the 
grandest  preacher  in  all  of  our  Southland."  This 
statement  then  seemed  to  me  a  very  extravagant  one, 
and  provoked  the  criticism,  '^See  how  these  South  Car- 
olinians love  one  another."  But  afterwards  I  often 
realized  that  it  was  strictly  and  entirely  true.  Let  me 
mention  three  incidents  in  illustration. 

Once  in  Zion  (Calhoun  Street)  Church  of  Charles- 
ton he  was  preaching  to  a  large  congregation  of 
negroes.  As  in  plaintive  tones  he  pictured  Jesus  Christ 
going  forth  to  death  and  bending  beneath  the  burden 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  53 

of  the  cross,  every  eye  was  opened  wide  and  riveted 
upon  the  speaker,  while  each  breast  seemed  to  rise  and 
fall,  as  step  after  step  was  taken  up  the  rugged  steep 
of  Calvary.  When  the  place  of  execution  was  reached 
everybody  fell  back  and  many  hands  were  raised  in 
horror.  AVlien  the  nails  were  driven  a  deep  sigh  swept 
through  the  house  like  the  sad  moan  of  the  sea  as  it 
rolls  in  upon  the  shore,  and  when  the  Saviour's  head 
was  drooped  in  death  a  deep  shudder  convulsed  the 
weeping  throng  as  hundreds  piteously  cried,  "O,  my 
God!  O,  my  God!" 

Again,  during  the  summer  of  1870  we  were  holding 
a  meeting  in  the  back  country  of  South  Carolina  at  a 
place  called  Whippy  Swamp.  It  was  my  night  to 
preach,  but  he  sat  with  me  in  the  pulpit.  The  interest 
was  so  intense  that  before  the  sermon  was  finished  I 
was  awed  into  silence,  as  I  realized  my  utter  inability 
to  fully  meet  the  eternal  issues  of  that  hour.  In  despair 
I  turned  round  and  cried  to  Dr.  Girardeau,  "Can  you 
not  tell  these  perishing  sinners  of  our  precious 
Saviour?" 

At  once  he  was  on  his  feet.  In  a  voice  tremulous 
with  emotion  he  tenderly  told  them  of  their  critical, 
their  very  critical  condition  because  of  the  presence  of 
God's  Holy  Spirit,  and  pointed  to  Christ  as  a  refuge, 
an  entirely  safe  refuge.  Then  his  voice  changed — the 
subdued  manner  was  gone — the  tremulous  tone  disap- 
peared. In  accents  of  exultation  he  proclaimed  a 
divinely  glorious  Saviour.  As  the  fires  of  Christian 
triumph  flashed  from  his  eyes  and  flamed  forth  in  his 
words  the  hearts  of  all  God's  people  were  kindled  with 
the  joy  of  His  salvation,  and  tears  of  gratitude  coursed 
down  every  cheek. 


54  The  Life  Work  of 

Just  then,  in  a  voice  loud  and  thrilling,  he  cried,  ''O, 
sinners,  dear,  dying  sinners,  this  is  our  Saviour.  Come 
to  Him  just  as  you  are.  Come  to  Him  right  now."  In 
an  instant  every  impenitent  person  in  the  house  (with 
a  single  exception)  rose  up  and  rushed  forward  to  the 
foot  of  the  pulpit.  Some  outside  dashed  through  the 
doors  and  one  or  two  sprang  through  the  windows  to 
reach  the  same  place.  Suddenly  there  came  a  strange 
hush  over  the  house.  I  expected  Dr.  Girardeau  to  lead 
in  prayer  or  make  an  earnest  exhortation.  But  no ! 
In  clear,  sweet  and  ringing  tones  he  began  to  sing  the 
well  known  hymn,  "Come  to  Jesus."  Ere  the  hymn 
was  finished  there  was  joy  in  two  worlds.  In  God's 
glorious  heaven  angels  were  singing  and  saying,  "He 
has  saved  themy  In  the  rude  country  church  sinners 
were  singing  and  saying,  "He  hath  saved  m6."  And  to 
the  heart  of  our  Lord  the  song  of  the  sinners  here  was 
sweeter  than  the  song  of  the  angels  there. 

Once  again,  in  November,  1881,  we  had  the  semi-cen- 
tennial of  the  Columbia  Seminary,  hoping  thus  to  help 
in  its  endowment.  A  large  number  of  ministers  were 
present,  among  whom  was  Rev.  W.  A.  Wood,  D.  D.,  of 
Statesville,  N.  C,  a  cultured  scholar  and  a  keen  critic; 
he  said,  "I  came  especially  to  hear  Dr.  Girardeau  and 
to  size  him  up."  On  Sunday,  to  a  large  congregation, 
a  prince  of  orators  in  our  Israel  preached.  As  we  came 
out  of  the  church  Dr.  Wood  enthusiastically  said, 
"magnificent,  magnificent." 

On  Tuesday,  to  a  comparatively  small  congregation. 
Dr.  Girardeau  preached.  For  the  first  half  hour,  with 
logic  on  fire,  he  discussed  an  important  doctrine,  and 
then  described  its  glorious  effects,  closing  with  a  vivid 
view  of  our  Saviour's  ascension  and  the  descent  of  the 
angelic  hosts  meeting  Him  with  song  and  the  chimes 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  55 

of  silver  cymbals.  As  he  began  to  close  almost  every 
hearer  was  either  leaning  forward  or  else  was  standing 
up,  and  as  after  he  ceased  to  speak  he  continued  to 
move  his  hands  in  circles  up,  and  up,  and  up,  stopping 
for  a  second  at  the  completion  of  each  circle,  the 
sweet  chimes  of  silver  cymbals  in  angel  hands  seemed 
to  fill  the  house  and  thrill  every  heart. 

For  over  a  minute  all  remained  spellbound  and 
breathless,  and  then  came  the  rustling  sound  as  they 
fell  back  into  their  seats  like  those  aw^akening  from  a 
delightful  dream.  No  j^rayer  was  made,  no  hymn  was 
sung,  only  the  benediction  was  pronounced,  and  then 
in  silence  the  strangely  impressed  hearers  quietly 
passed  out  of  the  church. 

Dr.  Wood,  Dr.  J.  H.  Thornwell,  Jr.,  of  Fort  Mill, 
and  myself  were  together.  Not  a  word  was  spoken 
until  nearly  a  square  had  we  gone.  I  broke  the  silence 
by  saying,  "Brother  Wood,  you  have  now  heard  Dr. 
Girardeau,  and  what  do  you  think?"  Clasping  his 
hands  together  and  looking  upward,  he  replied,  "It 
was  more  than  magnificent.  I  have  never  heard  any- 
thing to  equal  that.  No  other  man  can  speak  like  that 
man."  Dr.  Thornwell  then  added  in  a  voice  trembling 
with  emotion,  "Put  me  down  for  $100.00  to  the  endow- 
ment of  the  Seminary  as  a  thank  offering  for  the  privi- 
lege of  hearing  that  sermon.  It  is  worth  ten  times  that 
much  to  me  in  my  work,  but  that  is  all  I  have  to  give." 

These  three  instances  could  be  made  five-fold  more, 
but  they  are  sufficient.  Perhaps  some  reader  may  think 
they  are  colored  b}^  the  partiality  of  a  friend.  Let  me 
then  give  two  instances  of  the  estimate  of  those  who 
were  entire  strangers  to  him,  each  of  whom  heard  him 
onlv  once. 


56  The  Life  Work  of 

1.  When  Dr.  Girardeau  was  preaching  at  the  Second, 
now  the  Arsenal  Hill,  Presbyterian  Church  in  Colum- 
bia, S.  C,  the  Eev.  J.  M.  Buckley,  D.  D..  of  the  North- 
ern Methodist  Church,  and  another  minister  going 
South,  stopped  over  one  Sunday  in  Columbia.  Dr. 
Buckley  was  one  of  the  finest  scholars  in  America ;  the 
editor  of  the  New  York  Christum  Advocate,  the  author 
of  a  number  of  books,  among  which  is  "Extemporane- 
ous Oratory,"  and  a  man  who  had  special  opportunities 
for  hearing  the  greatest  orators  of  the  world.  Let  me 
give  his  estimate  as  told  in  his  own  paper: 

"We  arrived  in  Columbia  on  Saturday  evening. 
After  being  settled  at  the  hotel  we  walked  through  the 
city  and  were  charmed  with  it.  After  a  walk  of  two  or 
three  miles  we  went  into  a  book  store  to  make  a  few 
purchases.  I  said,  'Sir,  whose  church  would  you  advise 
a  stranger,  Avho  wished  to  hear  the  best  preacher,  to 
visit  tomorrow?'  Without  a  moment's  hesitation  he 
answered,  'Dr.  Girardeau's  Mission,'  and  a  gentleman 
standing  by  looked  acquiescence. 

"Never  was  there  a  more  beautiful  day  than  Sunday, 
March  ITth,  in  Columbia.  There  have  been  days  as 
fine;  none  finer:  the  perfection  of  a  spring  day.  It 
Avould  take  the  pen  of  a  Thomson  or  a  Wadsworth  to 
describe  it  Avorthily.  Every  window  was  open;  the 
trees  were  full  of  birds,  the  streets  of  children;  the 
peach  and  other  fruit  trees  in  blossom  and  many  flow- 
ers in  bloom. 

"On  reaching  'Dr.  Girardeau's  Mission'  we  found 
every  seat  occupied  and  some  of  the  congregation 
standing.  Perceiving  that  we  were  strangers,  an 
usher  procured  chairs  and  placed  us  very  near  the  pul- 
pit. As  we  were  about  to  enter,  one  of  us  said  to  the 
other,  'We  don't  get  the  chance  to  hear  others  preach 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  57 


often.  I  would  like  to  hear  something  that  would 
move  my  soul.'' 

"The  first  thing  noticed  was  the  character  of  the  con- 
gregation. It  was  the  most  refined  and  intelligent  con- 
gregation of  its  number  that  I  had  ever  seen  in  the 
South — and  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  it  sur- 
passed in  the  North — more  solid-looking  gentlemen  and 
ladies  of  striking  appearance.  And  the  young  people 
were  of  the  best  sort.  Never  did  I  see  an  assembly  that 
looked  so  little  like  a  'mission' — not  only  intelligence, 
but  the  evidence  of  wealth  Avere  apparent. 

"I  have  now  to  say  that,  having  heard  Thomas  Guth- 
rie of  Edinburgh,  James  Hamilton  of  London,  and  Mr. 
Spurgeon  six  or  eight  times,  it  has  never  fallen  to  my 
lot  to  hear  a  more  absorbing,  spiritual,  eloquent  and 
moving  sermon  on  an  ordinary  occasion.  It  was  worthy 
of  William  Wirt's  Blind  Preacher.  It  made  all  the 
preaching  I  have  ever  done,  and  nearly  all  I  have  ever 
heard  seem  like  mere  sermonizing.  Looking  around  to 
catch  the  eye  of  my  friend,  I  saw  that  two-thirds  of 
all  the  men  in  the  audience  were  in  tears.  It  was  no 
rant  or  artificial  excitement  or  mere  pathos,  but  thought 
burning  and  glowing.  None  but  a  man  of  equal  intel- 
lect, learning,  piety  and  eloquence  could  preach  such  a 
discourse  without  notes." 

The  second  instance  was  told  me  by  Eev.  J.  H. 
McNeilly,  D.  D.,  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  who  received  it 
from  Col.  Alfred  Robb  himself.  Colonel  Robb  was  a 
prominent  lawyer  in  middle  Tennessee,  an  influential 
elder  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  a  colonel  of  the 
Forty-sixth  Tennessee  Regiment,  C.  S.  A.,  and  a  dele- 
gate to  the  National  Democratic  Convention  that  met 
at  Charleston  in  1860.  In  the  hotel  on  Sunday  he  was 
accosted  by  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler  of  Massachusetts, 


58  The  Life  Work  of 

who  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  convention,  who  asked, 
"Where  are  you  going?"  Colonel  Robb  replied,  "To 
hear  a  great  white  preacher  whose  life  is  consecrated 
to  the  sah'ation  of  negi^oes.*'  General  Butler  exclaimed, 
"Well,  as  I  have  never  heard  of  any  such  thing  as  that, 
I  will  go  with  you."  On  entering  the  church  they 
found  the  negroes  occupying  the  main  floor,  while  the 
whites  were  seated  in  the  gallery. 

Colonel  Eobb  described  the  scene  thus :  "The  prayer 
of  the  preacher  was  earnest,  simple  and  humble  as  of  a 
man  pleading  with  God.  The  singing  was  general, 
heartfelt  and  grand.  The  sermon  was  tender  and 
spiritual,  and  though  profound,  was  plain,  delivered 
with  fire  and  unction.  After  the  preacher  took  his  seat, 
deeply  impressed.  I  was  with  closed  eyes  meditating 
on  the  wonderful  sermon,  when  I  heard  some  one 
sobbing.  Looking  around  I  saw  General  Butler's  face 
bathed  in  tears.  Just  then  the  church  officers  came  for 
the  usual  collection  and  at  once  General  Butler  drew 
from  his  pockets  both  hands  full  of  silver  coin  (put 
there  to  tip  the  waiters),  and  cast  it  into  the  basket, 
with  the  audible  remark,  'Well,  I  have  never  heard 
such  a  man  and  have  never  heard  such  a  sermon.'  "  In 
two  years  from  that  day  Colonel  Robb  had  died  on  the 
field  of  battle  fighting  for  the  South,  Dr.  Girardeau 
was  a  chaplain  in  the  Confederate  States  Army,  and 
General  Butler  was  hated  by  the  men  and  women  of 
Dixie. 

But  remarkable  as  was  the  preacher,  even  more 
remarkable,  if  that  is  possible,  was  his  chosen  field  of 
labor.  It  was  not  among  the  cultured  and  refined,  the 
educated  and  influential  who  so  highly  appreciated  his 
sermons  and  delighted  in  his  eloquence ;  but  among  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  59 

illiterate  and  the  ignorant  to  whom  his  scholarly  ser- 
mons would  seemingly  be  like  words  spoken  in  an 
unknown  tongue.  It  was  not  among  the  Southern 
whites,  that  people  of  almost  pure  British  stock,  with 
whom  in  everything  he  was  in  full  and  hearty  sympa- 
thy, but  among  negro  slaves  whose  black  skins  and 
kinky  hair  were  symbols  of  their  inferiority. 

Why  did  this  man,  the  equal  of  any  preacher  in 
America,  refuse  calls  to  New  York  and  Philadelphia, 
to  Baltimore  and  Wilmington,  to  St.  Louis  and  Louis- 
ville, to  Nashville  and  Atlanta,  to  Memphis  and  New 
Orleans,  where  he  could  have  been  admired,  renowned 
and  influential — why  did  he  turn  his  back  upon  all 
these  prominent  places,  upon  these  best  gifts  that 
preachers  very  properly  covet,  and  consecrate  his  life 
to  work  among  slaves,  negro  slaves,  and  to  the  most 
inferior  of  them,  even  to  the  Gullah  negroes  of  the  tide 
water  section  of  South  Carolina? 

1.  Because  of  his  love  for  South  Carolina.  The  love 
of  native  land  is  a  God-given  instinct  implanted  within 
the  human  heart  to  ennoble  him  who  was  created  in 
the  image  of  his  Maker.  Even  upon  the  inferior  races 
it  is  divinely  and  indelibly  stamped.  The  sallow 
Esquimaux  says  that  the  sun  shines  nowhere  so  bright 
as  in  his  own  Greenland.  The  brown  Polynesian  feels 
that  no  land  is  as  fair  as  his  own  Seagirt  isle.  The 
red  Indian  can  imagine  nothing  so  grand  as  the  forests 
of  his  ow^n  hunting  grounds.  The  negro  of  the  Caro- 
lina coast  esteems  the  fragrance  of  the  rose  and  lily  as 
far  inferior  to  the  odor  of  his  salt  marsh. 

In  the  ethics  of  the  white  man  the  love  of  native  land 
is  a  cardinal  virtue  and  the  lack  of  it  a  detestable  vice. 
Thus  Walter  Scott  speaks  of  it : 


60  Thf  Life  Work  of 

"Breathes  there  a  man  with  soul  so  dead, 
Who  never  to  himself  hath  said, 
This  is  my  own,  my  native  land  ! 
Whose  heart  has  ne'er  within  him  burned 
As  home  his  footsteps  he  hath  turned 
From  wanderings  on  a  foreign  strand  ! 

"If  such  there  be,  go  mark  him  well, 
For  him  no  Minstrel  raptures  tell. 
High  though  his  titles,  proud  his  name, 
Boundless  his  wealth  as  wish  may  claim ; 
Despite  these  titles,  power  and  pelf 
The  wretch  concentered  all  in  self. 
Living,  shall  forfeit  fair  renown, 
And,  doubly  dying,  shall  go  down 
To  the  vile  earth  from  whence  he  sprung, 
Unwept,  unhonored  and  unsung." 

Dr.  Girardeau  was  born  about  the  time  when  South 
Carolina  stood  ready  to  assert  her  sovereignty  and 
nullify  any  Act  of  Congress  that  threatened  her  wel- 
fare or  her  honor.  Hence,  as  a  boy,  by  his  environ- 
ment, he  was  impressed  with  the  idea  that  the  State  of 
South  Carolina  was  his  native  land,  to  which  his  love 
and  loyalty  was  due  as  that  of  a  child  to  the  mother 
who  gave  him  birth. 

This  sacred  affection  grew  with  his  growth,  filling 
every  avenue  of  his  heart  and  thrilling  every  fiber  of 
his  whole  being.  When  a  young  man,  he  felt  that  his 
mother  State  needed  the  service  of  her  sons,  and  so  to 
her  he  consecrated  his  life,  resolving  to  live  in  no  other 
State,  to  labor  among  no  other  people,  and  to  sleep, 
after  death,  under  no  other  soil. 

Let  me  mention  two  incidents  to  illustrate  this  fact: 

Just  after  the  war  he  was  released  from  a  Federal 
prison  and  was  journeying  in  a  wagon  w^ith  others  to 
his  home.    ^Yhen  they  had  passed  the  State  line  some 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  61 


,      JL^.      J^., 


one  said,  "We  are  now  in  South  Carolina."  Imme- 
diately Dr.  Girardeau  shouted  "Stop,"  and  then  leaping 
out  of  the  wagon  he  kneeled  down  and  laid  his  head  on 
the  ground.  With  streaming  eyes  he  exclaimed,  "O 
South  Carolina,  my  mother,  dear,  God  be  thanked  that 
I  can  lay  my  head  on  your  bosom  once  more."  It  was  a 
strange  scene,  but  characteristic  of  the  man. 

The  other  incident  occurred  when  he  was  a  profes- 
sor in  Columbia  Seminary.  The  finances  of  the  semi- 
nary were  in  a  bad  condition  and  the  directors  expected 
to  lower  the  already  small  salaries  of  the  professors. 
The  Central  Church  of  Atlanta  gave  him  a  call,  prom- 
ising a  salary  more  than  double  what  he  was  receiving. 
He  promptly  declined  it.  The  church  asked  me  to  see 
him,  and  so  I  went  to  see  him  and  urged  him  to  accept 
it.  He  said,  "I  have  wired  them  declining  to  accept, 
and  so  the  case  is  settled."  I  replied,  "No,  I  will  write 
them  and  they  will  renew  it."  On  my  pressing  him  to 
accept  it,  he  rose,  and  after  walking  several  times  across 
the  room,  stood  in  front  of  me  and  said,  "I  will  tell  you 
now  why  I  cannot  accept  that  call,  though  I  never 
expected  to  tell  any  one.  By  the  grace  of  God  I  was 
born  in  this  State,  through  the  mercy  of  God  my  home 
all  my  life  has  been  in  this  State,  and  it  is  my  heart's 
desire  and  prayer  that  my  lifeless  body  shall  sleep 
beneath  its  sod  until  the  resurrection  morn.  South 
Carolina  is  my  mother.  She  now  needs  the  service  of 
her  sons.  I  would  rather  accept  $400.00  and  a  cabin  in 
a  country  church  of  South  Carolina  than  the  $4,000.00 
and  the  splendid  manse  in  the  magnificent  city  of 
Atlanta." 

2.  The  Needs  of  the  Coast  Negro.  As  he  had  conse- 
crated himself  to  labor  in  his  native  State,  he  also  con- 
secrated himself  to  labor  amongst  the  most  needy  class 


62  The  Life  Work  of 

in  that  State.  These  were  the  negroes  on  the  coast — in 
the  tide-water  section  of  South  Carolina. 

The  white  2:>eople  had  a  plenteous  supply  of  minis- 
ters. Being  descended  from  Christian  parents,  some  of 
whom  were  martyrs,  and  many  of  whom  were  exiles 
for  the  cause  of  Christ,  every  impulse  of  their  whole 
being  called  for  the  presence  of  a  house  of  worship  and 
the  preaching  of  a  man  of  God.  Hence  in  every  city, 
town  and  village,  and  in  almost  every  country  neigh- 
borhood there  were  regular  church  services  for  the 
whites. 

In  the  middle  and  up-country  sections  of  the  State 
the  negroes  had  many  Christian  privileges.  As  the 
whites  were  comparatively  numerous,  they  permitted 
the  negroes  to  have  churches  of  their  own  in  many 
places.  The  galleries  in  the  white  churches  were  set 
apart  for  the  use  of  the  negroes.  The  family  servants 
were  expected  to  be  present  at  family  prayers  in  most 
of  the  homes  where  the  family  altar  was  honored.  In 
many  homes  there  was  instruction  of  all  the  servants  on 
Sabbath  afternoon.  More  than  all  these  things,  there 
was  daily  contact  with  Christian  whites,  and  as  the 
chameleon  becomes  brown  when  on  the  brown  earth, 
and  green  when  on  the  green  leaf,  so  the  negro,  whose 
peculiarity  is  to  take  his  character  from  his  environ- 
ment, was  greatly  blessed  and  elevated  by  association 
with  these  Christian  men  and  women. 

With  the  negroes  on  the  coast  the  conditions  were  far 
different.  The  white  families  were  comparatively  few, 
and  many  of  these  had  summer  homes  where  they 
resided  several  months  in  the  year.  Hence  Christian 
privileges  were  few  and  very  limited.  On  the  contrary, 
almost  everything  was  against  Christianity.  The 
negroes  were  more  ignorant  than  those  in  the  upper 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  63 

part  of  the  State.  They  were  in  masses  on  large  plan- 
tations so  as  to  more  easily  preserve  their  heathenish 
ideas  and  customs.  Some  of  them  were  born  in  Africa 
and  venerated  the  religion  of  the  dark  continent. 
Among  them  were  "The  Witch  Doctors,"  or  "voodoo 
men,"  who  exercised  almost  absolute  control  over  many 
of  their  people,  and  who  had  a  bitter  and  deathless 
hatred  of  the  "white  man's  religion." 

The  prospect  was  very  dark,  and  work  among  these 
people  appeared  to  be  a  "forlorn  hope."  But  if  the  dif- 
ficulties loomed  up  mountain  high,  the  grace  of  God  in 
young  Girardeau's  heart,  like  the  waters  of  the  flood, 
could  and  did  go  far  above  the  highest  mountains  and 
so  prevailed  that  he  freely  and  fully  consecrated  him- 
self to  labor  among  this  people  as  the  one  work  of  his 
life. 

It  was  the  same  spirit  of  sacrifice  that  sent  Brainard 
to  the  savages  of  North  America,  and  Paton  to  the  can- 
nibals of  the  New  Hebrides,  and  Damien  to  the  lepers 
of  Molokai,  that  sent  Girardeau  to  the  "voodoo"  domi- 
nated negroes  of  the  Carolina  coast. 

Perhaps  he  also  felt  as  Paul  says  of  himself  in 
Romans  15  :20,  "Yea,  so  have  I  strived  to  preach  the 
Gospel,  not  where  Christ  was  named,  lest  I  should  build 
upon  another  man's  foundation." 

3.  He  Himself  Was  a  Slave  Owner.  The  tie  of  affec- 
tion binding  many  masters  to  their  slaves  was  tender, 
strong,  and  highly  ennobling  to  both  master  and  slave. 

We  love  what  belongs  to  us,  often  simply  because  it 
is  our  own.  The  words  "Woodman,  spare  that  tree, 
touch  not  a  single  bough,"  are  not  mere  poetry.  The 
saying,  "Love  me,  love  my  dog"  is  not  a  mere  proverb, 
but  both  are  the  living  utterances  of  loving  hearts. 
If  so  in  regard  to  possessions  that  are  without  souls. 


64  The  Life  Work  of 

how  much  more  dear  to  the  Christian  master's  heart 
were  those  possessions  made  in  the  image  of  his  God 
and  endowed  with  immortality  ? 

This  tie  was  especially  strong  when  the  master  had 
inherited  his  slaves,  for  then  they  were  not  only  mem- 
bers of  his  own  household,  but  they  had  been  members 
of  the  household  of  his  parents.  The  same  feeling  that 
caused  Abraham  to  circumcise  not  only  the  children  of 
his  house,  but  also  the  servants  of  his  household,  filled 
the  heart  of  many  a  Christian  master.  Hence  they  were 
far  more  deeply  interested  in  the  salvation  of  their  ser- 
vants than  the  Northern  Christians  are  in  the  salvation 
of  their  foreign  population,  for  these  are  only  their  fel- 
low men,  and  neither  their  peculiar  property  nor  mem- 
bers of  their  households. 

This  love  of  the  master  was  heightened  by  the  strong 
and  striking  but  not  strange  affection  which  the  mass 
of  the  negroes  had  for  their  white  owners.  They 
regarded  the  white  man  as  superior  to  the  black  man; 
his  white  skin  being  God's  symbol  of  superiority  and 
their  black  skins  the  seal  of  their  inferiority.  Hence 
the  most  of  them  felt  it  to  be  an  honor  to  belong  to  an 
honored  white  person,  and  the  richer  and  more  honored 
the  owner,  the  prouder  and  happier  the  slave  to  call 
him  master. 

This  affection  was  intense  in  the  hearts  of  the  house- 
servants.  These  were  the  nobility  among  the  negroes, 
because  of  their  more  honorable  position  and  also 
because  of  their  superior  intelligence  resulting  from 
their  environment. 

The  love  and  loyalty  of  the  "old  mammy"  nurse,  the 
cook,  the  housemaid,  the  butler,  the  bod^^-servant,  the 
carriage  driver,  and  the  gardener,  was  like  that  of  a 
clansman  for  his  chief,  like  that  of  a  trusted  subject  for 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  65 

his  king.  Northern  men  and  women  have  often  won- 
dered why  during  the  civil  war  the  Southern  wives  and 
children  were  so  entirely  safe  at  home,  when  their  hus- 
bands and  their  fathers  were  far  away  in  the  army.  It 
was  because  of  this  love  and  loyalty  of  the  mass  of  the 
negroes,  and  especially  that  of  the  house  servants  who 
were  the  leaders  of  their  race. 

This  love  and  loyalty  of  the  master  to  the  slave,  and 
of  the  slave  to  the  master  was  beautiful — often  "pass- 
ing the  love  of  women" — like  that  of  David  and  Jona- 
than, and  would  have  continued  to  this  day,  as  a  foun- 
tain of  continual  blessing  to  both  races,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  unholy  alliance  between  the  "Witch  Doctors" 
among  the  negroes  and  the  mistaken  philanthropists  of 
the  North;  who,  like  Pilate  and  Herod,  becoming 
friends,  made  possible  the  crucifixion  of  this  love  and 
loyalty  upon  the  cross  of  fratricidal  strife. 

The  self-sacrifice  of  young  Girardeau,  the  slave 
owner,  for  the  souls  of  the  degraded  negroes  of  the  Car- 
olina coast,  is  an  imperishable  testimony  to  the  exist- 
ence of  this  tender  tie,  which,  though  unknown  to 
almost  all  Christendom,  is  known  to  "The  Christ,"  and 
is  as  beauteous  to  His  eyes  "as  apples  of  gold  in  a  net- 
work of  silver." 

4.  The  Results  of  the  Woi'k.  These  were  marvellous. 
He  won  the  devotion  of  the  negroes  to  himself,  he  won 
a  multitude  of  sinful  souls  for  Christ,  he  won  the  desire 
and  a  determination  on  the  part  of  many  negroes,  to 
attain  to  higher  planes  in  the  Christian  life. 

(1)  He  completely  won  the  hearts  of  the  negroes  to 
whom  he  preached.  They  heard  him  reviled  by  some 
whites  as  a  religious  crank  and  a  bigoted  fool,  who  was 
wasting  his  magnificent  talents  and  throwing  away  his 


66  The  Life  Work  of 

life  on  a  low,  dirty  and  degraded  lot  of  beings  who 
were  only  a  little  better  than  brutes. 

These  revilings  only  made  him  to  them  the  more 
dear,  for  they  esteemed  him  a  martyr,  sacrificing  him- 
self and  suffering  for  their  sakes.  Hence,  in  his  preach- 
ing they  listened  as  to  a  messenger  sent  to  them  from 
heaven,  and  in  his  prayers  they  heard  their  representa- 
tive at  God's  throne  of  grace.  Thus  as  he  pleaded 
(oftentimes  with  tears)  with  them  for  God  and  with 
God  for  them  their  whole  hearts  flowed  out  in  love  to 
him,  and  he  became  to  many  as  dear  as  their  own  lives. 

Two  incidents  sufficiently  illustrate  this.  When  he 
left  Wappetaw  Church  to  go  to  Wilton  he  preached  his 
last  sermon  to  a  large  congregation.  The  entire  crowd 
were  convulsed  with  grief  and  the  church  became  a 
real  Bochim.  As  he  left  the  house  on  his  way  home  the 
whole  congregation,  weeping  and  wailing,  followed 
him  for  some  distance.  When  at  last  they  stopped, 
some  were  with  heads  bowed  upon  the  ground,  and 
some  with  outstretched  arms  looking  heavenward,  but 
all  were  sobbing  and  crying  out,  "O  Lord,  O  my  God, 
what  mek  our  preacher  lef  us  !" 

Again.  We  all  know  that  Charleston  was  the  citadel 
of  "Secession,"  and  as  such,  detested  by  the  Federal 
authorities  and  most  of  the  people  of  the  North.  Not 
a  few  of  these  yearned  to  see  it  laid  in  ashes  and  made 
as  desolate  as  Babylon  or  Tyre.  Several  times  efforts 
were  made  to  secretly  organize  the  negroes,  and  through 
them  to  start  fires  at  the  same  time  in  many  parts  of 
the  city.  Special  agents  were  employed  to  carry  out 
such  designs,  and  more  than  once  they  almost  suc- 
ceeded. 

After  the  war  it  became  an  open  secret  why  these 
well  laid  schemes  were  frustrated.    Some  leaders  of  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  67 

negroes  religiously  believed  that  Dr.  Girardeau  was  the 
spedjl_rejDresentative  of  God  to  their_race;  and  his 
church  a  holy  temple  in  which  the  Almighty  delighted 
to  dwell.  They  feared,  and  they  imparted  this  fear  to 
other  leaders,  that  if  negroes  burned  that  city  so  dear 
to  this  man  of  God,  and  that  church  so  beloved  and 
honored  by  the  Lord  of  heaven,  then  the  divine  curse 
might  rest  upon  their  race  and  heaven  witl:thold  that 
"freedom"  which  they  felt  was  almost  within  their 
grasp.  The  self-sacrificing  work  of  one  man  indirectly 
but  really  saved  "The  City  by  the  Sea." 

(2)  He  Won  a  Multitude  of  Souls  for  Christ.  The 
accessions  to  his  church  were  like  the  waters  of  a  river, 
a  steady  stream,  yet  there  were  also  times  when  the 
heavenly  rain  caused  those  waters  to  be  more  abundant 
and  the  river  to  rise  much  higher,  even  occasionally  to 
the  revival  overflow. 

Perhaps  not  one-half  of  those  brought  to  Christ  by 
his  preaching  united  with  his  church.  It  was  a  com- 
mon thing  for  members  of  other  denominations  to  hear 
him,  for  the  negroes  considered  it  a  privilege  to  attend 
his  church,  and  prided  themselves  upon  taking  part  in 
its  services.  But  such  would  almost  always  join  the 
churches  to  which  their  families  belonged. 

It  was  the  saintly  Samuel  Rutherford,  the  pastor  of 
An  worth  Church,  who  said : 

"O,  if  one  soul  from  Anworth 
Meets  me  at  God's  right  hand, 
My  heaven  will  be  two  heavens 
In  my  Immannel's  land." 

In  full  sympathy  with  this,  Dr.  Girardeau  felt  these 
saved  souls  would  make  his  heaven  brighter  and  more 
glorious.    Like  Paul,  he  looked  upon  his  converts  as  his 


68  The  Life  Work  of 

"crown  of  rejoicing,"  and  each  one  won  for  Christ 
became  a  thread  to  strengthen  the  silken  cord  of  love 
that  bound  him  to  his  arduous  work. 

(3)  He  inspired  many  of  these  converts  to  strive  for 
a  higher  Christian  life  through  the  transforming  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  success  of  this  was  clearly 
seen  in  the  spiritual  tone  of  the  prayer  meeting,  but 
especially  in  the  high  standard  of  Christian  character 
among  the  membership,  which  was  noted  and  fre- 
quently remarked  upon  by  members  of  other  negro 
churches,  by  members  of  the  white  churches,  and  par- 
ticularly by  the  outside  world.  One  cause  of  this  was 
the  fact  that  every  applicant  for  church  membership 
was  put  into  a  class,  which  met  every  week  to  receive 
the  instruction  of  the  pastor,  who  taught  that  our 
religion  required  three  things :  a  distrust  of  self,  a  sim- 
ple trust  in  Christ,  and  the  desire  and  endeavor  to  daily 
live  a  moral  and  spiritual  life.  Such  instruction  for 
three  or  six  months  was  often  sufficient  to  lay  a  founda- 
tion upon  which  was  built  a  beautiful  Christian  char- 
acter, and  the  pastor,  in  seeing  this,  could  forget  the 
toil  of  the  sower  in  the  joy  of  the  reaper. 

5.  There  were  four  other  things  that  riveted  the  four 
reasons  already  given,  which,  like  bands  of  steel,  bound 
this  wondrous  man  to  his  earth-scorned  but  heaven- 
blessed  work: 

"^  (1)  Dr,  Girardeau  Very  EmotiorMl.  Now  emotion 
is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  the  negro.  Hence,  when 
in  his  preaching  their  responsive  interest  was  like  the 
answer  of  an  echo,  that  preaching  became  to  him  an 
exhilaration,  a  thrilling  delight.  As  the  mother  forgets 
the  pangs  of  travail  in  her  joy  over  her  new-born  child, 
so  he  forgot  all  his  sacrifices  and  was  filled  with  joy 
exceeding  great  as  he  felt  the  glowing  sympathy  of  his 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  (59 

spell-bound  hearers,  thirsting  for  the  water  of  life.  He 
saw  before  him  not  a  dark  cloud  of  ignorant,  degraded 
negroes,  but  a  cloud  crimsoned  with  beauty  divine  as  it 
reflected  the  radiance  of  the  blood-stained  cross  of  Cal- 
vary. 

"This  was  the  secret  sympathy, 
The  silver  link,  the  silken  tie, 
Which,  heart  to  heart,  and  mind  to  mind, 
Preacher  unto  hearer  did  bind." 

(2)  He  regarded  the  use  of  instruments  in  public 
worship  in  this  dispensation  as  unscriptural.  This  view 
was  held  by  Rev.  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckinridge  of  Danville 
Seminary,  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H.  Thornwell  of  Columbia 
Seminary,  and  by  other  eminent  divines.  His  practice 
strictly  conformed  to  his  belief.  Before  becoming  pas- 
tor of  Zion  Church  in  Charleston,  and  what  is  now 
Arsenal  Hill  Church  in  Columbia,  he  stipulated  that 
there  should  be  no  instrumental  music  in  the  worship  of 
God's  house. 

Some  of  their  members  yielded  to  his  belief  in  this, 
but  preferred  to  have  the  organ,  and  this  want  of  com- 
plete harmony  marred  the  pleasure  of  his  work  among 
the  whites.  But  the  "ante-bellum"  negro  did  not  need 
and  did  not  want  the  aid  of  instrumental  music,  for 
every  fiber  of  his  being  was  attuned  to  sacred  song.  As 
the  whole  congregation  would  sing  some  favorite  hymn, 
in  tones  thrilling  with  delight,  it  sometimes  seemed  as 
if  the  praise  of  heaven  was  beginning  here  below.  Then 
Dr.  Girardeau,  standing  up,  would,  with  strong  voice 
and  commanding  form,  lead  the  people  in  their  praise 
of  God.  Doubtless  this  privilege  of  unrestrained  par- 
ticipation in  the  service  of  song,  a  privilege  so  very 
rarely  enjoyed  among  white  congregations,  this  stand- 
ing (as  it  were)  in  the  very  vestibule  of  heaven,  and 


70  The  Life  Work  of 

breathing  the  crisp  air  of  the  celestial  city,  this  divine 
joy  was  one  link  that  bound  him  to  his  work  among 
such  people. 

(3)  He  believed  that  association  with  the  white  man 
was  essential  to  the  uplift  of  the  negro.  He  realized 
that  both  races  were  descended  from  the  first  Adam, 
and  that  for  both  the  second  Adam  had  died,  but  he 
also  believed  that  God  in  His  Providence  had  made  the 
negro  to  be  the  inferior;  that  as  to  climb  upward,  the 
vine  needs  the  trellis  and  the  ivy  the  wall,  so  the  negro 
needs  the  white  man. 

Hence  he  always  desired  the  negro  churches  to  be 
connected  with  and  under  the  supervision  of  the  white 
churches.  Hence  he  doubted  the  propriety  of  sending 
American  negroes,  though  well  educated  and  even  with 
an  admixture  of  white  blood,  as  missionaries  to  Africa, 
for  he  believed  that  when  left  to  themselves  they  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  to  dishonesty  and  adultery. 
Like  the  vine  and  iv}^,  when  deprived  of  its  support 
they  woidd  fall  to  the  ground  and  be  damaged  by  the 
dirt. 

Forty  years  ago  I  thought  that  Dr.  Girardeau  was 
wrong  in  this  opinion,  but  for  a  long  time  I  have 
realized  that  he  was  right.  Several  churches  conduct- 
ing mission  work  in  Africa  have,  by  sad  experience, 
learned  the  same  lesson,  and  among  these  is  our  own 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church,  whose  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  Foreign  Missions  once  believed  that  his  view 
was  wrong  and  a  reflection  on  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

(4)  A  peculiar  gift  which  he  used  in  preaching  to 
negroes.  Perhaps  no  one  else  ever  possessed  such  a 
unique  power. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D,  71 

Sometimes  when  both  races  were  present  he  would 
preach  a  profound  sermon,  and  there  would  be  w^it- 
nessed  a  strange  anomaly.  The  minds  of  the  cultured 
whites  would  be  strained  to  keep  up  with  the  train  of 
thought,  while  the  negroes  seemed  to  clearly  under- 
stand and  fully  appreciate  the  whole  sermon.  Hence 
the  remark  was  frequently  made,  "How  can  those 
ignorant  negroes  understand  such  a  sermon?" 

Being  myself  much  perplexed,  I  asked  him  to 
explain  the  problem.  He  replied,  "The  negroes  under- 
stand my  sermon  as  clearh^  but  not  as  fully  as  you  do. 
I  have  acquired  the  power  to  put  key-words  in  my  sen- 
tences, and  to  emphasize  them  both  in  tone  and  by  man- 
ner, and  as  they  are  vividly  impressed  by  those  words 
they  secure  the  current  of  my  thought." 

To  illustrate  this:  He  preached  a  sermon  in  which 
the  first  part  was  on  the  vileness  of  sin  and  the  cer- 
tainty of  its  punishment.  There  was  the  phrase  "Holy 
God"  spoken  in  a  tone  of  deep  humility  and  awe — then 
"sin  hateful,"  with  a  look  of  intense  abhorrence — then 
"God  angry"  with  an  expression  of  heartfelt  indigna- 
tion, and  then  among  other  words  were  "judge," 
"guilty,"  "doomed,"  "death,"  "depart,"  "hell,"  "wail- 
ing," "forever,"  and  each  word  or  phrase  so  emphasized 
in  tone  and  by  gesture  as  to  stamp  its  meaning  upon 
the  mind  of  the  hearer.  One  could  easily  see  how, 
through  such  word  painting,  the  ignorant  hearer  could 
readily  grasp  the  main  line  of  truth,  and  without  any 
weakening  of  its  power  by  trying  also  to  lay  hold  upon 
the  subordinate  thoughts  connected  with  it.  The  negro 
got  enough  to  fill  his  head  and  heart,  not  too  much  so 
as  to  overflow  and  bring  confusion  to  his  mind. 

Whether  this  strange  power  was  a  natural  gift  which 
he  assiduously  cultivated,  or  whether  it  was  acquired 


72  The  Life  Work  of 

by  continuous  toil  I  know  not.  But  its  possession  made 
him  feel  that  God  had  called  him  to  his  work,  and  was 
one  reason  why  he  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  calls  from  so 
many  leading  churches  among  the  whites. 

John  LaFayette  Girardeau  was  a  man  singularly 
gifted  and  wondrously  fitted  for  a  peculiar  work,  the 
effect  of  which  was  to  carve  upon  his  character  the 
likeness  of  his  Lord  in  a  lineament  rarely  found.  That 
Lord  was  "The  Master,"  yet  he  denied  Himself 
heavenly  glory  and  became  a  servant,  the  servant  of 
God  to  lost  men.  Our  friend  denied  himself  earthly 
fame  and  became  a  servant,  the  servant  of  Jesus  Christ 
to  the  menials  of  the  South. 

That  Lord  saith  in  Revelation,  3 :21 :  "To  him  that 
overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  Me  on  My  throne, 
even  as  I  also  overcame  and  am  set  down  with  my 
Father  in  His  throne." 


Work  Among  the  Negroes— Part  III 
By  George  A,  Blackburn,  D.  D. 

The  death  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Mack  before  he  had  finished 
his  account  of  Dr.  Girardeau's  work  among  the 
negroes  necessitates  another  section  on  the  most 
important  facts  connected  with  this  important  part 
of  his  life. 

Dr.  Girardeau's  general  view  of  the  situation  and 
his  personal  relation  to  it  are  interestingly  set  forth 
in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Mallard.    He  says: 

"Columbia,  S.  C,  November  10,  1890. 
"Rev.  Dr.  Mallard. 

"My  Dear  Brother:  Your  letter,  and  the  copy  of  the 
/S.  W.  Pi^eshyterian  containing  your  first  article,  have 
been  received.    I  am  glad  of  your  purpose  to  write  on 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  73 

the  theme  proposed,  and  regret  that  I  cannot  afford 
you  any  material  assistance,  in  consequence  of  having 
neglected  to  keep  a  diary  of  experience  in  the  work 
among  the  slaves. 

"I  send  you  a  few  documents  which  may  possibly  be 
of  some  service  to  you,  which  I  beg  that  you  will 
return  to  me  at  your  convenience.  You  may  glean 
something  from  them. 

"Let  me  jot  down  some  statements  which  may  be  of 
interest. 

"1.  Previously  to  the  war  the  coast  of  South  Carolina 
was  covered  by  a  net-work  of  Missions  among  the 
slaves,  conducted  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South.  These  Missions  were  not  the  same  as  the  Cir- 
cuits, nor  were  they  embraced  in  them,  but  were  served 
by  separate  ministers  devoted  to  them.  They  were 
mainly  supported  hy  the  planters.  Besides  preaching, 
the  functions  of  the  Missionaries  included  catechizing 
of  the  children  and  visiting  of  the  sick  on  plantations. 
It  was  a  great  work. 

"2.  The  pastors  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  regularly 
preached  to  the  colored  people,  large  numbers  of  whom 
were  members  of  their  churches.  In  addition  to  this, 
some  of  them  preached  regularly  on  plantations,  cate- 
chized the  negro  children  and  youth,  and  visited  the 
sick.     This  was  also  a  great  work. 

"3.  The  ministers  of  other  evangelical  denominations 
partook  in  similar  labors.  In  the  country  along  the 
Santee  River,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Glennie,  an  Episco- 
pal clergyman,  devoted  special  attention  to  the 
religious  instruction  of  the  negroes. 

"4.  In  cases  in  which  families  or  members  of  families 
were    pious,    great    attention    was    bestowed    on    the 


74  The  Life  Work  of 

instruction  of  the  slaves,  especially  the  children.  Sab- 
bath Schools  on  plantations  were  maintained. 

"5.  A  separate  enterj^rise,  in  1848,  was  begun  for  the 
more  thorough-going  evangelization  of  the  colored 
people  in  Charleston  under  the  auspices  of  the  Rev. 
John  B.  Adger,  D.  D.,  and  the  session  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church.  A  brick  house  of  worship  was 
built  at  a  cost  of  $7,500.  In  1859,  in  consequence  of 
the  enormous  growth  of  the  congregation,  another 
church  building,  which  cost  $25,000,  contributed  hy  the 
citizens  of  Charleston^  was  dedicated.  This  house  was 
100  feet  long  by  80  feet  broad,  and  was  on  a  basement 
divided  into  two  rooms,  Avhich  afforded  ample  cor- 
veniences  for  prayer  meetings,  catechizing  of  classes, 
and  personal  instruction  of  candidates  for  membership. 
From  the  first  the  great  building  was  filled,  the  blacks 
occupying  the  most  of  the  main  floor,  and  whites  the 
galleries,  which  seated  250  persons. 

"The  enterprise  began  as  a  branch  congregation  of 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church;  then  became  a  mis- 
sionary church  under  the  care  of  Rev.  J.  L.  Girardeau, 
evangelist  of  Charleston  Presbytery:  and  finally,  in 
consequence  of  the  admission  of  white  members,  a 
regular  church  with  a  white  session. 

"The  close  of  the  war  found  it  with  exactly  500 
colored  members  and  nearly  100  white.  Such  was  its 
growth  from  organization  as  missionary  church  in 
1857,  with  only  48  colored  members. 

"I  hardly  know  how  to  communicate  personal 
reminiscences.  They  would  be  too  numerous  and 
detailed.  Perhaps  I  had  better  not  enter  into  the 
edge  of  the  forest.  But  I  adventure  a  few  which  may 
be  of  some  use  to  you.  If  not,  throw  them  out.  Of 
course,  you  do  not  expect  to  mention  my  name. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  75 

"I  remember  that  before  I  became  a  preacher  I  used 
to  hold  meetings  on  my  father's  plantation,  the  cotton 
house  affording  a  convenient  place  of  assemblage. 
Previously  the  plantation  resounded  with  the  sounds 
of  jollity,  the  merry  strains  of  the  fiddle,  the  measured 
beat  of  the  'quaw-sticks,'  and  the  rythmical  shuffling 
and  pattering  of  feet  in  the  Ethiopian  jig.  Now  the 
fiddle  and  the  quaw-sticks  w^ere  abandoned,  and  the 
light,  carnal  song  gave  way  to  psalms  and  hymns.  The 
congregations  were  numerous  and  attentive,  and  a 
genuine  revival  of  religion  seemed  to  obtain.  I  can 
never  forget  wdth  w^hat  enthusiasm  they  used  to  sing 
their  own  improvised  'spiritual': 

'My  brother,  you  promised  Jesus, 
My  brother,  you  promised  Jesus, 
My  brother,  you  promised  Jesus 
To  either  fight  or  die. 

'O,  I  wish  I  was  there, 

To  wear  my  starry  crown.' 
Oh,  I  wish  I  was  there.  Lord, 
To  wear  my  starry  crown." 

"On  another  plantation  which  I  was  in  the  habit  of 
visiting,  a  prayer  meeting  was  commenced  by  one  or 
two  young  men,  which  became  more  and  more  solemn, 
until  the  religious  interest  grew  intense,  and  a  power- 
ful revival  took  place  which  involved  the  white  family 
and  their  neighbors.  The  results  of  that  meeting  were 
marked,  and  some  of  its  fruits  remain  to  this  day. 
If  ever  I  witnessed  an  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  I  did 
then. 

"While  teaching  school  in  another  place  it  was  my 
custom  to  visit  plantations,  in  rotation,  on  certain 
afternoons  of  the  week,  and  catechize  and  exhort  the 


76  The  Life  Work  of 

slaves.  I  knew  of  but  one  planter  in  that  community 
who  objected  to  this  practice,  and  he  was  a  very  irre- 
ligious man.  On  Sabbaths,  after  the  regular  services 
of  the  sanctuary  had  been  held,  and  the  white  con- 
gregation had  dispersed,  the  negroes  would  crowd  the 
church  building,  and  standing  on  the  pulpit  steps,  I 
would  address  them.  Their  feelings  sometimes  were 
irrepressible.  This  was  with  the  sanction  of  the  min- 
ister and  elders. 

"While  at  the  Theological  Seminary,  I  only  refrained 
from  going  on  a  foreign  mission,  because  I  felt  it  to 
be  my  duty  to  preach  to  the  mass  of  slaves  on  the  sea- 
board of  South  Carolina.  Having  rejected,  after 
licensure,  a  call  to  a  large  and  important  church  which 
had  very  few  negroes  connected  with  it,  I  accepted  an 
invitation  to  preach  temporarily  to  a  small  church 
which  was  surrounded  by  a  dense  body  of  slaves.  The 
scenes  on  Sabbath  were  affecting.  The  negroes  came 
in  crowds  from  two  parishes.  Often  have  I  seen  (a 
sight,  I  reckon,  not  often  witnessed)  groups  of  them 
"double-quicking"  in  the  roads,  in  order  to  reach  the 
church  in  time — trotting  to  church !  The  white  ser- 
vice, as  many  negroes  as  could  attending,  being  over, 
the  slaves  would  pour  in  and  throng  the  seats  vacated 
by  their  masters — yes,  cram  the  building  up  to  the 
pulpit.  I  have  seen  them  rock  to  and  fro,  under  the 
influence  of  their  feelings,  like  a  wood  in  a  storm. 
What  singing!  What  hearty  hand-shakings  after  the 
service !  I  have  had  my  finger  joints  stripped  of  the 
scarf-skin  in  consequence  of  them.  Upon  leaving  the 
church  after  the  last,  mournful  service  with  them,  and 
going  to  my  vehicle,  which  was  some  hundred  yards 
distant,  a  poor  little  native  African  woman  followed 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  77 

me  weeping  and  crying  out.  'O,  Massa,  you  goin'  to 
leave  us?  O,  Massa,  for  Jesus'  sake,  don't  leave  us!' 
I  had  made  an  engagement  with  another  church,  or  the 
poor  little  African's  plea  might  have  prevailed.  When 
next  I  visited  that  people,  I  asked  after  my  little 
African  friend.  'She  crossed  over,  sir,'  was  the  ansAver. 
May  we  meet  where  parting  will  be  no  more,  the  song 
to  Jesus  never  cease  ! 

"The  church  to  which  I  next  went  was  in  a  different 
part  of  the  seaboard  of  South  Carolina.  In  connec- 
tion with  it  I  was  ordained,  and  here  my  work  began 
in  earnest.  The  congregation  included  some  of  the 
most  cultivated  gentlemen  of  the  State.  They  were 
cordially  in  favor  of  the  religious  instruction  of  their 
slaves.  The  Avork  among  them  consisted  of  preaching 
to  them  on  Sabbath  noons  in  the  church  building  in 
which  their  masters  had  just  worshipped,  preaching  to 
them  again  in  the  afternoons  on  the  plantations,  and 
preaching  at  night  to  mixed  congregations  of  whites 
and  blacks.  This  in  the  summer.  In  the  winter,  I 
preached  at  nights  on  plantations,  often  reaching  home 
after  midnight.  Many  a  time  have  I  seen  the  slaves 
gathered  in  their  masters'  piazzas  for  worship,  and 
when  it  was  very  cold  in  their  dining  rooms  and  their 
sitting  rooms.  The  family  and  the  servants  would 
worship  together.  This  was  common,  and  the  fact 
deserves  to  be  signalized.  In  order  the  better  to  com- 
pass the  work,  I  selected  four  points  in  the  congrega- 
tional territory,  the  diameter  of  which  was  about 
twenty  miles  in  one  direction,  and  purposed  to  secure 
the  erection  of  meeting  houses,  which  would  each  be 
central  to  several  plantations,  in  order  to  economize 
labor  and  bring  the  Gospel  more  frequently  in  con- 


78  The  Life  Work  of 

tact  with  the  people  by  preaching  regularly  once  a 
month,  on  Sabbaths,  at  those  points.  This  plan  was 
prevented  of  accomplishment  by  my  removal  to  the 
missionary  work  in  Charleston.  It  is  curious  that 
after  the  war  the  colored  people  erected  houses  of  wor- 
ship at  those  very  j^oints.  My  last  service  with  the 
negroes  at  this  church  I  will  never  forget.  The  final 
words  had  been  spoken  to  the  white  congregation,  and 
they  had  retired.  While  a  tempest  of  emotion  was 
shaking  me  behind  the  desk,  the  tramp  of  a  great  mul- 
titude was  heard  as  the  negroes  poured  into  the  build- 
ing, and  occupied  all  available  space  up  to  the  little 
old  wine-glass  shaped  pulpit.  When  approaching  the 
conclusion  of  the  sermon,  I  turned  to  the  unconverted, 
asked  what  I  should  say  to  thern^  and  called  on  them 
to  come  to  Jesus.  At  this  moment  the  great  mass  of 
the  congregation  simultaneously  broke  down,  dropped 
their  heads  to  their  knees,  and  uttered  a  wail  which 
seemed  to  prelude  the  judgment.  Poor  people !  They 
had  deeply  appreciated  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to 
them. 

"Into  the  details  of  the  work  in  Charleston  I  cannot 
enter.  They  would  occupy  too  much  space.  It  lasted 
(with  me)  from  1854  to  1862.  I  have  sometimes 
thought  that  I  devoted  too  much  time  to  it.  I  was 
absorbed  in  it.  But  the  labor  was  not  in  vain,  I  trust. 
Besides  Sabbath  preaching,  most  of  the  nights  in  the 
week  were  spent  at  the  church  in  the  discharge  of 
various  duties — holding  prayer  meetings,  catechizing 
classes,  administering  discipline,  settling  difficulties, 
and  performing  marriage  ceremonies.  Often  have  I 
sat  for  over  an  hour  in  a  cold  room  instructing  individ- 
ual inquirers  and  candidates  for  membership;  often 
have  I  risen  in  the  night  to  visit  the  sick  and  dying  or 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  79 

to  administer  baptism  to  ill  children.  I  made  it  a 
duty  to  attend  all  their  funerals  and  conduct  them. 
Just  two  extreme  instances  of  dying  experience  I  will 
give.  One  was  that  of  a  servant  of  a  distinguished 
judge.  He  was  dying.  As  I  entered  his  room,  he 
rubbed  his  hands  together,  chuckled  with  a  hilarious 
delight  like  that  of  a  boy  going  home  on  Christmas 
Eve,  and  exclaimed,  'I'm  going  home!  Oh,  how  glad 
I  am!'  So  he  passed  away. 

"Another  was  that  of  my  own  servant.  He  was 
reared  by  me;  was  a  bad  boy;  when  he  grew  up, 
attended  my  church;  professed  conversion,  and  Avas 
seized  not  long  after  with  galloping  consumption.  He 
was  in  terror.  His  sins  filled  him  with  dismay.  I 
labored  with  him,  but  he  refused  to  be  comforted.  At 
last,  not  long  before  his  departure,  the  light  of  God's 
reconciled  countenance  broke  upon  the  midnight  of 
his  soul.  From  that  time  he  had  perfect  peace,  and 
breathed  his  last,  I  firmly  believe,  on  the  bosom  of  his 
Saviour.  Freely  did  my  tears  flow  while  I  was  utter- 
ing the  last  words  of  prayer  and  exhortation  over  his 
encofRned  body.  His  mother,  also  my  servant,  died 
after  him,  during  the  war  when  I  was  absent  in  Vir- 
ginia. She  kept  calling  for  me  till  she  expired.  Tell 
me  that  there  was  no  true,  deep  affection  of  masters  to 
slaves  and  slaves  to  masters !  It  was  often  like  that 
between  near  relatives. 

"The  most  glorious  work  of  grace  I  ever  felt  or  wit- 
nessed was  one  which  occurred  in  1858,  in  connection 
with  this  missionary  work  in  Charleston.  It  began 
with  a  remarkable  exhibition  of  the  Spirit's  super- 
natural power.  For  eight  weeks,  night  after  night, 
save  Saturday  nights,  I  preached  to  dense  and  deeply 


80  The  Life  Work  of 

moved  congregations.  The  result  I  have  given  in  the 
general  statement  prefixed. 

"The  work  steadily  and  rapidly  grew  until  it  was 
arrested  by  the  war.  I  could  give  you  some  incidents 
that  would  be  interesting,  but  time  will  not  permit. 
One  I  mention  in  which  the  ludicrous  and  the  pathetic 
were  blended,  and  the  saying  was  fulfilled,  that  the 
fountains  of  laughter  and  tears  are  next  to  each  other. 
After  a  session  had  been  formed,  there  came  before 
it  for  admission  into  the  church  a  small  native  African, 
whose  name  was  Cud  jo.  The  following  colloquy 
occurred  between  the  minister  and  the  candidate: 
'Cudjo,  you  want  to  join  the  church?'  'Yessy,  Massa.' 
'Cudjo.  you  trust  in  Jesus?'  'Yessy,  Massa.'  'Cudjo, 
you  love  Jesus?'  'Oh,  yess3^  Massa;  me  lub  Jesus.' 
'Cudjo,  you  expect  to  see  Jesus?'  'Oh,  yessy,  Massa; 
me  'spec  to  see  Jesus.'  'When  he  sees  you  coming, 
what  do  you  think  Jesus  will  say?'  '  Wat  he  say?  He 
say,  Cudjo,  you  come?  I  say,  Yessy,  Ma'am,  I  come.^ 
Here  he  struck  his  hands  together,  and  the  session 
laughed  and  cried  at  the  same  time. 

'*The  conduct  of  this  church  after  the  war  justified 
the  wisdom  of  those  who  projected  it.  They  clung 
to  the  white  people.  One  of  the  first  invitations,  in 
writing,  which  I  received  upon  my  return  from 
imprisonment  at  Johnson's  Island,  and  while  yet  in 
the  interior  of  the  State  where  my  family  were  refu- 
gees, in  July,  1865,  to  resume  labor,  was  from  this 
colored  membership,  entreating  me  to  come  back  and 
preach  to  them  as  of  old.  For  years  they  declined  to 
separate  themselves  from  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  even  after  its  Assembly  had,  in  1874, 
recommended  an  organic  separation  of  the  whites  and 
blacks,   they   continued   to   maintain    an   independent 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  81 

position.  Only  at  a  late  date  did  they  resolve  to  con- 
nect themselves  with  the  Northern  Presbyterian 
Church." 

"John  L.  Girardeau." 

The  authority  for  the  organization  of  the  Church,  its 
covenant,  and  the  original  signers  constitute  a  most 
interesting  document.     It  is  as  follows : 

^'' Whereas^  The  Charleston  Presbytery,  meeting  at 
Columbia,  S.  C,  did,  on  the  thirty-first  day  of  March, 
in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-five,  separate 
the  congregation  of  coloured  people  worshipping  in 
the  building,  known  as  the  Anson  Street  Church,  from 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  and  did  place  it,  with 
forty-eight  coloured  persons  consenting  to  be  members 
of  it,  under  the  care  of  Rev.  J.  L.  Girardeau,  to  gov- 
ern the  said  Church  and  to  be  responsible  for  the 
same  directly  to  the  Presbytery,  with  the  aid  of  an 
advisory  committee  acting  with  him,  consisting  of 
ruling  elders  appointed  by  Presbytery  from  the  several 
churches  of  the  city  (see  printed  minutes  of  Presby- 
tery for  March,  1855,  page  12),  and 

^^Whereas^  the  said   Presbytery   meeting  at   James 

Island  did,  on  the   day  of  April,  in  the  year 

eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-eight,  adopt  the  following 
minute  and  resolution,  viz :  'In  consideration  of  the 
application  now  made  by  sundry  white  persons  to  join 
the  Anson  Street  Church,  and  the  statements  of  the 
Rev.  John  L.  Girardeau,  Rev.  Dr.  Adger,  and  others, 

"  ^Be  it  resolved^  That  this  Presbytery  does  now 
reaffirm  its  resolution  adopted  in  1854,  authorizing 
the  present  committee  of  elders,  together  with  Rev. 
Mr.  Girardeau,  as  a  Committee  of  Presbytery,  to 
receive   these   and   any   other   white   members   in   the 


82  The  Life  Work  of 

usual  regular  way,  with  a  view  to  organize  a  church 
with  its  white  members,  elders,  and  coloured  members:' 
and, 

'^Whereas,  in  accordance  Avith  the  above  resolution 
of  the  Presbytery,  we,  the  subscribers  hereunto,  have 
been  received  into  the  communion  of  the  said  Mission- 
ary Church,  with  a  view  to  organize  a  regularly  con- 
stituted Church,  henceforth  to  be  known  as  Zion  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Now.  therefore,  we  do,  by  our 
signatures  to  this  covenant,  agree  to  walk  together  in 
a  church  relation,  as  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ,  on  the 
principles  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Form  of 
Government  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  commending  ourselves,  our  chil- 
dren, and  our  servants,  to  the  mercy  and  grace  of 
God  in  Christ  as  our  only  hope  and  confidence,  whether 
as  individuals,  or  as  a  church;  and, 

'^ Whereas,  the  case  of  this  Church  is  altogether  pecu- 
liar, and  the  opinion  exists  that  there  is  a  possibility 
that  the  missionary  feature  of  the  Church,  contem- 
plating chiefly  the  religious  culture  of  the  coloured 
people,  may,  in  the  course  of  time,  be  destroyed  in  con- 
sequence of  the  expansion  of  the  white  membership 
and  the  possible  exorbitancy  of  its  demands,  we  do 
add  to  the  above  covenant  the  following  Declaration 
and  Agreement,  by  which  we  are  willing  to  be  bound, 
so  long  as  we  continue  members  of  this  Church, 
namely:  We  declare  that  we  enter  this  Church,  as 
white  members  of  the  same,  with  the  fullest  under- 
standing that  its  primary  design  and  chief  purpose  is 
to  benefit  the  coloured  and  especially  the  slave  popu- 
lation of  this  city,  and  that  the  white  membership  is 
a  feature  added  to  the  original  organization  for  the 
purpose  of  better  securing  the  ends  of  that  organiza- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  83 

tion.  We  declare,  further,  that  we  have  chosen  to 
attach  ourselves  to  this  Church,  not  only  for  the  bene- 
fit of  ourselves  and  our  families,  which  we  believe  Avill, 
with  God's  blessing,  be  secured  by  such  a  connection, 
but  also  that  we  may  assist  by  our  means  and  our  per- 
sonal efforts  in  the  support  and  prosecution  of  this 
missionary  work,  regarding  this  field  of  labour  as  one 
that  has  peculiar  claims  upon  us.  Furthermore,  in 
accordance  with  the  above  declaration,  we  do  hereby 
agree  that  the  pastor  of  this  church  is  to  be  selected 
always  with  a  view  to  his  suitableness  for  labouring 
most  profitably  among  the  coloured  people,  and  that 
for  all  time  the  services  and  labours  of  the  minister 
shall  ordinarily  be  so  divided  as  to  apportion  the  reg- 
ular morning  service  to  the  whites  especially,  and  the 
remaining  regular  service  or  services  to  the  blacks 
especially;  and  we  do  further  agree  that  the  coloured 
people  shall  always  be  allowed  to  occupy,  in  these  ser- 
vices designed  peculiarly  for  their  benefit,  the  main 
floor  of  the  building,  excepting  such  seats  on  the  right 
and  left  of  the  pulpit  as  may  be  appropriated  to  the 
whites.  .  .  .  Moreover,  in  order  to  secure  the  perpetua- 
tion of  the  aforesaid  missionary  feature  in  the  organ- 
ization of  this  Church,  we  do  severally  agree  that,  in 
event  of  our  dissatisfaction  with  the  order  of  things 
for  which  this  declaration  and  agreement  provides,  we 
will  rather  withdraw  from  connection  with  the  Church 
than  attempt,  by  any  influence  on  our  part,  to  divert 
it  from  its  original  purpose  as  a  church  contemplating 
chiefly  the  benefit  of  the  coloured  population. —  And, 
finally,  we  do  agree,  with  one  accord,  to  adopt  it  as  an 
essential  and  unalterable  rule  of  this  particular  church, 
that  no  one  shall  be  admitted  into  its  white  member- 


84 


The  Life  Work  of 


ship  who  is  not  cordially  willing  to  sign  the  above 
Covenant,  Declaration  and  Agreement. 

"In  Avitness  whereof  we  append  our  signatures : — 

"Charleston,  June  13th,  1858. 


"John  L.  Girardeau, 

Minister ; 
Edward  C.  Jones, 
A.  Campbell, 
Eobt.  Adger, 
F.  D.  Fanning, 
Fleming  Arnold, 
J.  Ellison  Adger, 

0.  A.  Bowen, 

T.  C.  H.  Dukes, 
Fredk.  Fanning, 
Fleetwood  Lanneau,  Sr.. 

1.  H.  Dickinson, 
F.  S.  Averill, 

I.  H.  Averill, 
Sparkman  R.  Scriven, 
M.  I.  Jones, 


E.  F.  Fanning, 
M.  F.  Gillespie, 
Jane  E.  Adger, 
Clara  W.  Adger, 
Sarah  E.  Adger, 
Jane  E.  Adger, 
M.  Anne  Adger, 
Susan  C.  Adger, 
R.  A.  Lanneau, 
Sarah  P.  Girardeau, 
Mary  Dewees, 
Susan  M.  Dowell, 
Anna  M.  Small, 
Susan  D.  Lee, 
M.  Addie  Chambers, 
Mary  I.  Cotchett, 
Louisa  M.  Kent." 


The  colored  members  were  governed  by  a  constitu- 
tion prepared  for  them  by  Dr.  Girardeau. 


RULES    FOR    THE    GOVERNMENT    OF    THE    COLOURED 
MEMBERS  OF  ZION  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


Government. 
D  enomination. 

Rule  1.  This  Church  shall  be  governed  in  accord- 
ance with  the  Constitution  of  the  Old  School  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  United  States. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  85 

Officers. 

Rule  2.  Its  officers  shall  be  only  those  which  the 
Constitution  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  recognizes, 
namely — a  pastor,  ruling  elders  and  deacons. 

The  Pastor. 
Peculiar  Functions. 

Rule  1.  To  preach  the  Gospel,  to  administer  the 
Sacraments  and  to  pronounce  the  Apostolic  Benedic- 
tion shall  be  considered  functions  of  the  ministerial 
office  alone. 

The  Session. 
Potver  to  Govern. 

Rule  1.  The  power  to  govern  this  Church  is  lodged 
in  the  Session,  which  consists  of  the  pastor  and  the 
other  ruling  elders;  and  no  authority  from  within  the 
Church  shall  be  considered  binding  on  the  members 
thereof,  except  that  of  the  Session. 

Admission  to  Memhership. 

Rule  2.  No  person  shall  be  admitted  into  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Church,  except  upon  examination  or 
approval  by  the  Session. 

Removal  from  Memhership. 

Rule  3,  No  person  shall  be  removed  from  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Church  except  by  the  action  of  the  Ses- 
sion. 

Discipline. 

Rule  4.  All  cases  of  members  requiring  the  exercise 
of  discipline  shall  be  tried  and  decided  by  the  Session 
in  conformity  with  the  Book  of  Discipline  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church. 


86  The  Life  Work  of 

Departrnents  of  O operations. 

Rule  5.  The  Session  shall  distribute  the  operations 
of  the  Church  into  departments,  each  of  which  shall 
be  assigned  by  it  to  the  superintendence  of  some  officer 
or  officers  of  the  Church  who  shall  be  responsible  to 
the  Session;  and  who  shall  make  regular  quarterly 
reports  to  that  body  touching  the  departments  com- 
mitted to  their  care. 
Appointment  of  Workers. 

Rule  6.  The  persons  engaged  in  the  several  branches 
of  the  work  of  the  Church  shall  be  appointed  by  the 
Session,  and  shall  be  responsible  to  it. 

Deacons. 
Duties. 

Rule  1.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  deacons  to  take  care  of 
the  poor  and  the  needy  members  of  the  Church;  and 
to  attend  to  the  collection  and  disbursement  of  all 
moneys  for  charitable  purposes. 

Rule  2.  Applications  in  behalf  of  the  sick  shall  be 
made  to  the  deacon  or  deacons  who  shall  be  charged 
with  the  disbursement  of  the  collections  for  the  sick. 

Rule  3.  Applications  in  behalf  of  the  poor  and 
infirm  shall  be  made  to  the  deacon  or  deacons  who  shall 
be  charged  with  the  disbursement  of  the  collections  for 
the  poor  and  infirm. 

Membership. 
Applications. 

Rule  1.     Applications  for  membership  shall  be  made 
at  the  weekly  candidates'  meeting. 
Roll. 

Rule  2.  A  roll  of  members  regularly  posted  up  for 
the  use  of  the  Session  shall  be  kept  b}^  one  of  the  elders 
designated  for  that  purpose. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  87 

Classes. 

Rule  3.  The  members  shall  be  distributed  into 
divisions  called  classes;  the  distribution  to  be  made  by 
the  Session, 

Rule  4.  The  candidates,  as  they  are  admitted  into 
the  Church,  shall  be  assigned  to  the  several  classes  by 
a  committee  of  Session  appointed  for  that  purpose ;  to 
be  called  the  Committee  on  Classes. 

Rule  5.  The  number  of  regular  members  in  each 
class  shall  not  exceed  fifty ;  but  when  this  number  shall 
have  been  reached,  new  members  may  temporarily  be 
received  into  connection  with  it,  until  their  number 
shall  be  sufficient  to  warrant,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
Session,  their  being  set  off  as  a  separate  class;  provided, 
always,  that  these  new  members  shall  be  so  set  off  when 
they  reach  the  number  of  fifty. 

Rule  6.  No  member  shall  be  transferred  from  one 
class  to  another  except  by  the  authority  of  the  Session's 
Committee  on  Classes. 

Rule  7.  The  objects  of  the  class  meetings  are — to 
promote  mutual  acquaintance  and  brotherly  love 
among  the  members;  to  apprise  them  of  one  another's 
sickness  and  need;  to  acquaint  the  leaders  with  the 
same ;  and  to  further  the  growth  of  the  members  in 
Christian  knowledge  and  experimental  religion. 

The  Sick. 

Rule  8.  A  collection  shall  regularly  be  taken  up  in 
behalf  of  the  sick  members  of  the  Church  at  the  weekly 
prayer  meeting  on  Monday  night. 

Rule  9.  Applications  for  aid  in  behalf  of  sick  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  shall  be  regularly  made  by  the 
leaders  to  whose  classes  they  belong  at  the  close  of  the 
weekly  prayer  meeting  on  Monday  night. 


88  The  Life  Work  of 

EuLE  10.  A  weekly  stiiDend  of  fifty  cents  shall  be 
appropriated  to  the  sick  members  during  the  time  of 
their  sickness,  for  the  deliver}^  of  which  the  leaders  to 
whose  classes  they  belong  shall  be  responsible. 

Rule  11.  Ordinarily,  sickness  must  be  of  at  least  a 
week's  duration  to  entitle  to  aid ;  but  in  cases  of  urgent 
need,  this  rule  may  be  dispensed  with,  at  the  discretion 
of  the  deacons,  upon  the  representation  of  the  leaders. 

Rule  12.  In  doubtful  cases  requiring  investigation 
a  committee  of  leaders  may  be  appointed  for  that  pur- 
pose by  the  deacons,  who  shall  receive  the  report  of  the 
committee  and  pass  upon  the  merits  of  such  cases. 

The  Poor  and  Infirm. 

Rule  13.  There  shall  be  a  special  fund  for  the  pur- 
pose of  affording  relief  to  the  poor  and  infirm  members 
of  the  Church,  and  at  their  death  (if  destitute)  of  pro- 
viding for  their  funeral  and  burial  expenses. 

Rule  14.  A  collection  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor 
and  infirm  shall  be  taken  up  at  each  communion  service. 

Rule  15.  The  deacons  shall  be  judges  of  the  fitness 
of  applicants  to  receive  aid  from  the  fund,  and  of  the 
amount  of  aid  to  be  appropriated  in  each  particular 
case. 

Rule  16.  In  doubtful  cases  requiring  investigation 
a  committee  of  leaders  shall  be  appointed  for  that  pur- 
pose by  the  deacons,  who  shall  receive  the  report  of  the 
committee  and  pass  upon  the  merits  of  such  cases. 

Attendance, 

Rule  17.  The  members  shall  regularly  attend  the 
services  of  the  Church,  except  when  domestic  duties 
prevent;  protracted  absence  from  the  same  without 
sufficient  excuse  shall  be  considered  a  just  cause  for  the 
exercise  of  discipline. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  89 

Baptism  of  Infants. 

Rule  18.  Parents  shall  report  the  births  of  their 
children  as  early  as  possible  to  the  leaders  of  the  classes 
to  which  they  belong;  and  shall,  if  possible,  present 
their  children  for  baptism  Avithin  four  months  after 
their  birth. 

Meetings  and  Services. 

Outside  Meetings. 

Rule  1.  The  Church  hereby  declares  that  she  will 
not  be  responsible  for  any  meetings  held  outside  the 
church  building;  and  in  case  the  name  or  authority  of 
the  Church,  or  of  the  pastor  or  officers  thereof,  is  used 
in  behalf  of  such  meetings  by  those  who  hold  them,  the 
parties  so  doing  shall  be  subject  to  the  discipline  of  the 
Church. 

Stated  Meetings. 

Rule  2.  The  stated  meetings  of  the  Church  shall  be 
as  follows: 

A  prayer  meeting  on  Sabbath  morning,  in  winter, 
beginning  at  7  o'clock  and  closing  at  8  o'clock;  and  in 
summer,  beginning  at  6  o'clock  and  closing  at  7  o'clock. 

A  forenoon  meeting  on  Sabbath  for  public  worship 
and  preaching,  beginning  at  half-past  10  o'clock  and 
closing  by  12  o'clock,  all  the  year  round. 

An  afternoon  meeting  on  Sabbath,  for  public  worship 
and  preaching,  in  winter  beginning  at  half-past  3 
o'clock,  and  closing  by  5  o'clock,  and  in  summer  begin- 
ning at  half -past  4  o'clock  and  closing  by  6  o'clock. 

A  prayer  meeting  on  Monday  night,  in  winter  begin- 
ning at  7  o'clock  and  closing  by  half-past  8  o'clock,  and 
in  summer  beginning  at  8  o'clock  and  closing  by  half- 
past  9  o'clock. 


90  The  Life  Work  of 

A  meeting  for  the  instruction  of  inquirers  and  can- 
didates for  membership,  on  Tuesday  night,  in  \Yinter 
beginning  at  7  o'clock  and  closing  by  half-past  8 
o'clock,  and  in  summer  beginning  at  8  o'clock  and 
closing  by  half-past  9  o'clock. 

A  meeting  of  the  classes  on  Wednesday  night,  m  win- 
ter beginning  at  7  o'clock  and  closing  by  half-past  8 
o'clock,  and  in  summer  beginning  at  8  o'clock  and 
closing  by  half-past  9  o'clock. 

A  meeting  of  the  leaders  in  connection  with  the  Ses- 
sion's Committee  on  Classes,  once  a  fortnight  on  Friday 
night. 

Rule  3.  The  expediency  of  holding  any  other  than 
the  stated  meetings  shall  be  determined  by  the  Session. 

Mode  of  Conduct'mg  Meetings. 

Rule  4.  No  meeting  shall  be  held  without  the 
presence  of  responsible  white  persons  approved  by  the 
Session. 

Rule  5.  Every  meeting  shall  be  presided  over  by 
one  or  more  of  the  officers  of  the  Church,  or  by  some 
wdiite  member  or  members  of  the  Church  approved  by 
the  Session. 

Seating  of  Congregation. 

Rule  6.  The  j^erson  who  first  occupies  a  seat  shall 
be  entitled  to  hold  the  same;  except  in  the  case  of  the 
leaders  and  singers  for  whom  particular  seats  shall  be 
reserved;  and  in  the  case  of  aged  and  infirm  persons, 
who  shall  upon  application  be  entitled  to  occupy  par- 
ticular seats. 

Rule  7.  Ordinarily  males  and  females  shall  occupy 
separate  seats. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  91 

Rule  8.  A  white  superintendent  and  persons  under 
his  direction  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Session  who 
shall  be  charged  with  the  seating  of  the  congregation 
and  the  maintenance  of  order.  Cases  of  difficulty  which 
cannot  otherwise  be  adjusted  shall  be  immediately 
referred  to  the  superintendent,  who  shall  proceed  to 
rectify  them. 

Rule  9.  The  Sacrament  of  Baptism  shall  be  admin- 
istered to  adults  on  the  Communion  Sabbath  on  which 
they  make  a  public  profession  of  their  faith. 

Rule  10.  The  Sacrament  of  Baptism  shall  be 
statedly  administered  to  infants  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  Sabbath  next  after  the  Communion  Sabbath,  at 
which  time  parents  who  have  children  to  be  baptized 
are  expected  to  present  them. 

Rule  11.  The  names  of  the  children  to  be  baptized 
shall  be  reported  to  the  Session  before  the  ordinance  is 
administered. 

Rule  12.  Only  parents  shall  present  their  children 
for  baptism ;  or  in  case  of  the  death  of  the  parents,  only 
those  w^io  stand  to  the  children  in  the  relation  of 
parents. 

Rule  13.  In  accordance  with  the  principles  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  no  child  will  be  baptized,  except 
one  of  the  parents  be  a  member  of  an  evangelical 
church. 

Rule  14.  The  baptism  of  adults  and  of  infants  shall 
be  administered  at  the  Church,  except  in  extraordinary 
cases  of  which  the  Session  shall  be  the  judge. 

The  LorcVs  Swpper. 

Rule  15.  The  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  shall 
be  statedly  administered  once  a  quarter,  namely — on 


92  The  Life  Work  of 

the  afternoon  of  the  first  Sabbath  in  March,  June,  Sep- 
tember and  December. 

Rule  16.  Xo  candidates  for  Church  membership 
shall  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper  until  they  shall  have 
been  admitted  by  the  Session  into  the  communion  of 
the  Church. 

Rule  17.  Persons,  who  were  not  ba^^tized  in  infancy, 
shall  not  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper  until  they  shall 
have  been  baptized  as  adults. 

Rule  18.  The  Lord's  Supper  shall  be  administered 
only  at  the  Church,  except  in  extraordinary  cases  of 
which  the  Session  shall  be  the  judge. 

Funerals. 

Rule  19.  Funeral  services  shall  be  conducted  by  the 
pastor  or  by  persons  appointed  by  the  Session. 

Leaders. 
Appointment. 

Rule  1.  The  leaders  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Ses- 
sion, and  continued  in  service  at  the  discretion  of  that 
body. 

Charges. 

Rule  2.  Each  leader  shall  have  charge  of  one  of  the 
classes,  for  the  good  order  of  which  he  shall  be  responsi- 
ble to  the  Session. 

Duties. 

Rule  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  leaders  to  meet 
with  their  classes  weekly  at  the  Church;  to  visit  and 
look  after  the  members;  to  assist  in  taking  care  of  the 
sick  and  needy;  and  to  superintend  the  burial  of  the 
dead. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  93 

Rule  4.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  leaders  to  report 
the  cases  of  sickness  and  want  which  require  aid;  and 
also  those  which  call  for  the  attention  of  the  pastor. 

EuLE  5.  It  shall  be  their  duty  to  report  all  cases 
which  appear  to  require  the  exercise  of  discipline. 

Rule  6.  It  shall  be  their  duty  to  summon  parties  for 
trial  or  examination  by  the  Session,  according  to  the 
direction  of  that  body. 

Rule  7.  It  shall  be  their  duty  to  examine  into  all 
applications  for  marriage,  and  to  report  thereon  to  the 
pastor. 

Rule  8.  It  shall  be  their  duty — as  it  is  their  priv- 
ilege— to  set  a  good  example  to  the  members  by 
punctual  attendance  upon  the  services  of  the  Church. 

Rule  9.  Only  those  leaders  shall  be  exhorters  and 
shall  be  entitled  to  conduct  funeral  services,  who  have 
been  appointed  by  the  Session. 

Assistants. 

Rule  10.  Assistants  to  the  leaders  shall  be  appointed 
by  the  Session  and  continued  in  service  at  the  discretion 
of  that  body. 

Rule  11.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  assistants  to  aid 
the  leaders  in  looking  after  the  members;  in  visiting 
the  sick  and  needy ;  and  in  burying  the  dead. 

Rule  12.  The  appointment  of  assistants  shall  not 
be  considered  as  giving  them  any  necessary  claim  to 
be  future  leaders;  and  the  Session  shall  decide  upon 
their  fitness  or  unfitness,  after  trial  as  assistants,  to  be 
promoted  to  the  leadership. 

Leaders''  Meeting. 

Rule  13.  The  leaders'  meetings  shall  always  be  pre- 
sided over  by  the  Session's  Committee  on  Classes;  and 


94  The  Life  Work  of 

none  shall  be  held  without  the  presence  of  that  com- 
mittee. 

Rule  14.  At  these  meetings,  the  leaders  shall  pre- 
sent a  report  of  the  condition  of  their  classes;  and  all 
cases  of  difficulty  not  requiring  the  intervention  of  Ses- 
sion shall  be  adjusted. 

Rule  15.  One  member  of  the  Session's  Committee 
on  Classes  shall  be  considered  a  quorum  competent  to 
the  transaction  of  business  at  the  leaders'  meeting, 
except  in  very  important  and  difficult  cases. 

Rule  16.  The  assistant  leaders  shall  be  expected  to 
attend  the  leaders'  meetings,  except  when  in  the  judg- 
ment of  the  committee  on  classes  their  presence  shall 
be  deemed  inexpedient. 

Candidates'^  Leader. 

Rule  17.  The  candidates  shall  be  placed  under  the 
care  of  a  leader  to  be  called  the  candidates'  leader,  who 
shall  not  be  connected  with  any  of  the  members'  classes; 
and  he  shall  have  an  assistant  or  assistants  who  shall  be 
appointed  by  the  Session. 

Duties. 

Rule  18.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  candidates' 
leader  to  be  present  at  the  candidates'  meetings;  to 
look  after  and  visit  them ;  to  examine  into  the  character 
and  conduct  of  all  applicants  for  membership ;  and  to 
report  upon  all  these  matters  to  the  Session's  Com- 
mittee on  Candidates. 

Instruction. 
Superintendence  of  Insti^ction. 

Rule  1.  Instruction  shall  always  be  imparted  by  or 
under  the  immediate  supervision  of  one  or  more  of  the 
officers  of  the  Church  designated  by  the  Session  and 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  95 

responsible  to  it.  In  the  absence  of  the  officers  this 
duty  may  devolve  on  white  members  of  the  Church 
appointed  by  the  Session  and  responsible  to  it. 

Matter  of  Instimction. 

Rule  2.  Nothing  shall  be  taught  which  is  not  in 
strict  accordance  with  the  Bible  and  the  Standards  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Form  of  Instruction. 

Rule  3.     The  form  of  instruction  shall  be  oral. 

Parities  to  he  Instructed. 

Rule  4.  The  members  of  the  Church  shall  be  cate- 
chetically  instructed  once  a  week  when  assembled  as 
classes. 

Rule  5.  Candidates  for  Church  membership  shall 
be  catechetically  instructed  as  a  class  once  a  week  by  a 
member  of  Session ;  and  at  the  same  time  they  shall  be 
individually  conversed  with  and  examined  by  the  pas- 
tor touching  their  experience  and  qualifications  for 
admission  into  the  Church. 

Rule  6.  Bible  classes  of  advanced  children,  and  of 
adults,  shall  be  instructed  by  the  white  members  of  the 
Church  immediately  after  the  afternoon  service  on  the 
Sabbath. 

Rule  7.  The  children  shall  be  catechetically 
instructed  on  the  afternoon  of  every  Sabbath,  except 
those  on  which  the  Lord's  Supper  is  administered. 

Rule  8.  A  class  of  young  men  shall  be  regularly 
instructed  with  a  view  chiefly  to  the  appointment  of 
leaders,  as  they  may  be  required  by  the  wants  of  the 
Church.  This  class  may  include  the  leaders  and  assis- 
tant leaders. 


9e  The  Life  Work  of 

Marriages. 
Application  to  Leader. 

Rule  1.  Parties  wishing  to  be  married  shall  first 
apply  to  a  leader  of  this  Church  in  order  that  an  oppor- 
tunity may  be  afforded  for  an  investigation  of  their 
case,  and  a  report  thereupon  to  the  pastor. 

Second  Mamages. 

Rule  2.  Members  of  the  Church  purposing  to  marry 
a  second  time,  except  in  the  case  of  the  death  of  a 
former  husband  or  wife,  shall  first  secure  the  consent 
of  the  Session  to  such  second  marriage. 

PRIXCIPLES  AXD  METHODS  OF  CHURCH 
WORK. 

The  principles  and  methods  of  church  work  were 
thoroughly  modern,  and  explain  in  a  measure  the  won- 
derful efficiency  of  the  church.    They  are  as  follows: 

"Principles  and  Methods  of  Church  Work. 

"Paper  Submitted  by  J.  L.  G.  to  Session  of  Zion  Church,  Glebe 

Street,  Charleston,  and  Adopted  by  It. 

"1.  The  church  as  the  body  of  which  Christ  is  the 
living  Head,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  the  informing  life, 
is  itself  a  living  organism,  every  particular  member  of 
which  is  intended  to  discharge  a  vital  function. 

"2.  As  such  a  living  organism  the  church  is  compe- 
tent to  do  every  work  which  Christ,  its  Head,  has 
designed  it  to  accomplish ;  and  as,  from  its  very  nature, 
it  is  a  society  which  was  constituted  for  the  purpose  of 
discharging  missionary,  benevolent  and  charitable 
offices,  every  member  of  the  church  is  by  virtue  of  his 
relation  to  it  a  member  of  a  missionarv,  benevolent  and 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  97 

charitable  society,  and  is  both  obliged  and  privileged 
to  perform  the  duties  which  grow  out  of  that  relation. 

"3.  What  cannot  be  done  by  individuals  ought  to  be 
done  by  an  association  of  individuals.  The  principle 
of  combination  ought  to  be  recognized  and  employed 
by  the  church  for  the  prosecution  of  the  work  which 
the  Master  has  assigned  her.  Each  particular  combi- 
nation of  members  will  be  but  a  committee  of  the  whole 
society.  It  will  be  the  church  acting  through  a  com- 
mittee. 

"4.  The  principle  of  division  of  labour  ought  to  be 
employed.  Different  combinations  or  committees  of 
the  members  of  the  church  may  have  distinct  spheres 
of  labour  assigned  them  in  accordance  with  their  gifts, 
or  elected  by  themselves  as  their  abilities,  opportunities 
and  wishes  may  lead  them. 

"5.  The  principle  of  thorough-going  responsibility 
should  be  invoked  in  connexion  with  the  others  in 
order  to  the  complete  and  regulated  employment  of 
the  working  energies  of  a  church.  Each  association  or 
committee  of  members  ought  to  be  responsible  to  the 
session  as  the  Divinely  appointed  rulers  of  the  con- 
gregation, to  act  under  their  advice,  and  to  present  to 
them,  at  stated  intervals,  reports  of  its  operations. 

"The  following  resolutions  are  submitted  for  the  con- 
sideration of  the  Session: 

"  '1.  That  an  effort  be  made  to  put  these  principles 
into  practical  operation  in  this  church. 

"  '2.  That  for  this  purpose,  meetings  of  the  male  and 
female  members  of  the  church  be  separately  called; 
that  the  subject  be  laid  before  them;  and  that  they  be 
requested  to  take  part  in  the  endeavour  to  reduce  these 
principles  to  practice. 


98  The  Life  Work  of 

"  '3.  That  the  female  members  of  the  church  be 
requested  to  form  the  following  associations  or  com- 
mittees: 1.  Circles  of  i^rayer.  2.  A  sewing  circle.  3. 
A  missionary  committee.    4.  A  visiting  committee. 

"  '4.  That  the  male  members  of  the  church  be 
requested  to  form  the  following  committees :  1.  A  mis- 
sionary committee.    2.  A  committee  on  the  sick. 

"  '5.  That  upon  the  agreement  of  the  members  to  act 
upon  these  committees,  said  committees  be  formally 
appointed  or  at  least  endorsed  by  the  Session. 

"  '6.  That  each  of  these  committees  shall  periodically 
submit  reports  of  its  operations  to  the  Session,  except- 
ing the  circles  of  prayer.'  " 

Dr.  Girardeau  preached  habitually  to  from  1,500  to 
2,000    people,   yet    his    membership    was    never   what 
would  be  called  large.     Here  is  his  own  statement  of 
membership : 
"Dec.  1860. 

Coloured  Members.  462 

White  "  62 


Total  "  524 


460 — Total    coloured    communi- 
cants Apr.  1861. 

"At  the  close  of  the  war  (1865)  the  number  of  col- 
oured members  was  precisely  500.  In  January,  1876, 
when  a  call  was  made  for  those  who  wished  to  be 
re-enrolled,  116  responded.  Subsequently  the  number 
of  coloured  members  swelled  to  over  450,  when  the 
General  Assembly  adopted  the  policy  of  separation 
between  the  races,  and  I  retired  from  the  work.    The 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  99 

church  afterwards  ran  down.     Now,  1884,  it  seems  to 
look  up  a  little." 

The  greatest  event  in  his  ministry  was  the  revival 
in  the  later  fifties.  This  began  with  a  prayer  meeting 
that  constantly  increased  until  the  house  was  filled. 
Some  of  the  officers  of  the  church  wanted  him  to  com- 
mence preaching  services,  but  he  steadily  refused,  wait- 
ing for  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit.  His  view  was 
that  the  Father  had  given  to  Jesus,  as  the  King  and 
Head  of  the  church,  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
that  Jesus  in  His  sovereign  administration  of  the 
affairs  of  his  church,  bestowed  him  upon  whomsoever 
He  pleased,  and  in  whatever  measure  He  pleased.  Day 
after  day  he,  therefore,  kept  his  prayer  addressed 
directly  to  the  mediatorial  throne  for  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  mighty  reviving  power. 

One  evening,  while  leading  the  people  in  prayer,  he 
received  a  sensation  as  if  a  bolt  of  electricity  had  struck 
his  head  and  diffused  itself  through  his  whole  body. 
For  a  little  Avhile  he  stood  speechless  under  the  strange 
physical  feeling.  Then  he  said:  "The  Holy  Spirit  has 
come ;  we  wall  begin  preaching  tomorrow  evening."  He 
closed  the  service  with  a  hymn,  dismissed  the  congre- 
gation, and  came  down  from  the  pulpit;  but  no  one 
left  the  house.  The  whole  congregation  had  quietly 
resumed  its  seat.  Instantly  he  realized  the  situation. 
The  Holy  Spirit  had  not  only  come  to  him — 'He  had 
also  taken  possession  of  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
Immediately  he  began  exhorting  them  to  accept  the 
Gospel.  They  began  to  sob,  softly,  like  the  falling  of 
rain;  then,  with  deeper  emotion,  to  weep  bitterly,  or 
to  rejoice  loudly,  according  to  their  circumstances.  It 
was  midnight  before  he  could  dismiss  his  congrega- 


100  The  Life  "Work  of 

tion.  A  noted  evangelist  from  the  North,  who  was 
present,  said,  between  his  sobs,  to  an  officer  of  the 
church :  "I  never  saw  it  on  this  fashion."  The  meet- 
ing went  on  night  and  day  for  eight  weeks.  Large 
numbers  of  both  white  and  black  were  converted  and 
joined  the  various  churches  of  the  city.  His  own  was 
wonderfully  built  up,  not  only  in  numbers,  but  also 
in  an  experience  that  remained  in  the  church.  He  was 
accustomed  to  say  that  he  could  always  count  on  those 
who  were  converted  in  that  meeting.  This  was  prob- 
ably due  to  the  deep  work  of  conviction  of  sin.  the 
protracted  period  of  the  conviction,  the  clear  sense  of 
pardon,  and  the  joyful  witness  of  the  Spirit  to  their 
adoption. 

His  sermons  during  the  meetings,  as  shown  by  his 
notes,  were  very  instructive.  He  dealt  with  the  great 
doctrines  of  sin,  regeneration,  faith,  justification, 
repentance  and  such  subjects.  None  of  those  who  went 
through  these  meetings  ever  forgot  the  wonderful 
preaching. 

About  this  period  revivals  occurred  over  practically 
the  whole  country,  and  large  numbers  of  young  men 
were  brought  into  the  church.  Dr.  Girardeau  fre- 
quently referred  to  this  as  the  Lord's  mercy  in  gather- 
ing His  elect  for  the  great  war  that  was  soon  to  sweep 
so  many  of  them  into  eternity. 

After  the  war  another  great  effort  was  made  to 
secure  a  revival  of  the  same  kind.  A  sunrise  prayer 
meeting  was  organized  for  the  sole  purpose  of  pray- 
ing for  such  a  work  of  grace,  and  although  the  people 
went  into  it  with  great  enthusiasm  and  with  high 
expectations,  after  several  months  of  earnest  and  per- 
sistent effort  many  of  them  began  to  cease  their  atten- 
dance.   Some  with  stronger  faith  continued  for  a  year 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  101 

before  becoming  discouraged  and  finally  giving  up 
hope.  In  speaking  of  this  great  struggle,  Dr.  Girar- 
deau was  accustomed  to  say,  "God  is  a  Sovereign." 

His  ministry  was  filled  with  interesting  and  some- 
times exciting  circumstances.  The  following  one  came 
near  being  tragic:  A  few  years  before  the  war,  two 
negroes  were  charged  with  having  killed  a  white  man. 
One  was  captured,  the  other  escaped.  The  captured  one 
had  ajDplied  for  membership  in  Zion  church  some  time 
before  this  occurrence.  Dr.  Girardeau,  as  his  custom 
was,  put  him  on  probation.  This  negro  affirmed  that 
he  was  only  a  witness  to  the  killing,  and  that  the  other 
negro  had  committed  the  murder.  He  was,  however, 
convicted  and  hanged.  Just  after  the  execution  Dr. 
Girardeau  announced  that  he  would  preach  on  this 
negro's  death,  meaning  to  use  it  as  a  warning  to 
negroes  against  bad  company,  sinful  living,  and  delay 
in  coming  to  Christ.  Somehow  the  report  got  started 
that  he  was  going  to  preach  a  sermon  justifying  the 
negro.  The  excited  state  of  public  feeling,  and  the 
lack  of  acquaintance  with  the  young  preacher  to  the 
slaves,  enabled  the  report  to  gain  credence.  On  Sat- 
urday evening  before  the  sermon  was  to  be  preached, 
Mr.  Dan  Campbell,  a  member  of  Zion  Church,  was  on 
his  way  to  Summerville  when  he  noticed  near  the 
depot  a  large  crowd  of  excited  men.  Joining  them,  he 
found  that  his  pastor  was  the  subject  of  discussion. 
Some  were  in  favor  of  killing  him  outright  as  a  dan- 
gerous character,  others  thought  best  to  tar  and 
feather  him  and  burn  the  church.  Mr.  Campbell  saw 
that  the  spirit  of  the  mob  was  dangerous,  and,  giving 
up  his  trip,  hastened  to  report  the  matter  to  his  father, 
an  elder  in  the  church,  and  a  warm  friend  of  Dr.  Girar- 
deau's.   The  situation  was  explained  to  the  mayor,  and 


102  The  Life  Work  of 

a  strong  guard  secured  for  the  church  while  the  white 
members  of  the  congi-egation  guarded  the  house  of  the 
preacher,  all  unknown  to  him. 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  the  time  for  preaching  the 
sermon,  the  Charleston  Minute  Men,  as  they  called 
themselves,  filled  one  gallery  of  the  church.  They  were 
all  armed  and  had  come  for  the  purpose  of  shooting  the 
preacher  as  soon  as  the  subject  should  be  mentioned. 
The  opposite  gallery  was  filled  with  his  friends,  who 
were  also  armed,  and  were  determined  to  shoot  the 
first  man  who  drew  a  gun.  Below  were  a  great  mass 
of  negi'oes,  determined  that  if  anything  should  hap- 
pen to  their  beloved  pastor  to  destroy  every  "minute 
man"  in  the  building.  The  house,  the  windows,  the 
doors,  the  streets  were  packed.  Dr.  Girardeau,  accom- 
panied by  his  little  son,  John,  went  calmly  to  the 
church,  worked  his  way  through  the  crowd  to  a  side 
entrance,  and  quietly  entered  his  pulpit.  After  care- 
fully looking  over  his  great  audience,  he  bowed  his 
head  and  asked  the  Lord  to  control  their  hearts  and 
minds  until  they  should  see  the  drift  of  his  sermon. 
The  services  went  on  without  excitement  on  his  part, 
but  when  he  began  to  preach  the  tenseness  of  his  con- 
gregation seemed  to  excite  all  of  his  masterful  powers 
to  the  very  highest  activity,  and  the  spell  of  his  elo- 
quence soon  made  Minute  Man  and  churchman  and 
negro  forget  what  had  brought  them  together.  When 
he  reached  his  climax  and  showed  the  awful  con- 
sequences of  sin  in  the  struggling  form  of  the  con- 
demned and  hanging  criminal,  and  pointed  quickly  to 
the  condemned  and  dying  form  of  the  Son  of  God 
making  an  atonement  for  the  sinner,  his  audience 
broke  down.  Then,  amid  their  tears  and  groans,  he 
exhorted   them   to    faith    and   repentance.      When   he 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  103 

had  finished,  the  Minute  Men  stopped  to  apologize,  and 
many  of  them  became  attendants  of  his  church  and 
were  among  the  warmest  of  his  admirers.  The  leader 
of  the  company  afterwards  entreated  him  to  take  a 
trip  to  Europe  at  his  expense. 

Another  serious  case  was  that  of  Riley,  the  hack- 
man.  This  was  after  the  war.  Eiley  was  a  negro 
Democrat  who  always  voted  with  the  white  men,  which 
displeased  the  negroes  so  much  that  after  an  election 
in  which  they  were  defeated,  they  planned  to  take 
their  revenge  on  him.  They  watched  their  chance 
until  they  got  him  hemmed  up  in  a  narrow  street.  For- 
tunately, he  was  riding  a  very  fine  horse,  to  which  he 
put  spurs  and  so  riding  down  some  and  knocking 
off  others  who  tried  to  catch  him,  he  managed  to 
escape.  As  he  fled  Mr.  Trenholm,  who  saw  the  situa- 
tion, opened  the  gate  of  his  back  yard,  which,  like 
many  Charleston  yards,  was  enclosed  with  a  high  stout 
fence,  and  as  soon  as  Riley  was  in,  closed  and  locked 
the  gate.  Several  of  Mr.  Trenholm's  neighbors  gath- 
ered, and  the  negroes  were  warned  not  to  come  into 
the  yard.  In  the  meantime  Riley's  wife,  hearing  of 
the  trouble,  fled  from  her  house  to  that  of  Dr.  Girar- 
deau. And  although  he  promised  her  protection,  he 
could  not  overcome  her  fear  sufficiently  to  keep  her 
from  running  to  the  garret  and  hiding  herself  under 
some  furniture.  A  crowd  soon  followed,  crying,  "Kill 
her!  Kill  her!"  Dr.  Girardeau's  sons  got  their  shot- 
guns and  joined  their  father.  He  told  the  crowd  that 
he  was  going  to  protect  the  woman,  and  advised  them 
to  leave.  Some  of  the  bolder  spirits,  however,  ap- 
proached the  gate  in  a  threatening  manner.  He  ordered 
them  to  stop,  and  in  a  firm,  calm  way,  told  them  that 
the  first  man  who  put  his  foot  in  the  yard  would  be  shot 


104  The  Life  Work  of 

down.  After  talking  to  them  for  a  while,  he  dismissed 
them  and  they  quietly  withdrew. 

Humorous  incidents  were  constantly  occurring.  In 
the  congregation  was  an  old  negro  who  had  been 
imported  from  Africa,  and  who  developed  real  piety, 
showing  zeal  and  earnestness  in  all  his  Christian  duties. 
He  loved  his  pastor  and  imitated  him  in  every  pos- 
sible way.  The  congregation,  therefore,  understood 
how  he  happened,  in  the  open  meeting,  to  pray,  "Lord, 
be  merciful  to  Thy  unworthy  servant,  our  pastor,  and 
keep  him  in  health  that  he  may  do  Thy  work." 

On  another  occasion  one  of  his  negro  members  asked 
another  negro  to  go  with  him  to  church.  The  latter, 
refusing  on  the  ground  that  the  church  had  a  white 
preacher,  received  this  prompt  reply  from  Dr.  Girar- 
deau's friend,  "Yas,  he  face  is  white,  but  he  heart  is 
black.-' 

When  the  war  began  Dr.  Girardeau  went  to  the 
front  as  chaplain  in  the  Twenty-third  South  Carolina 
Eegiment.  His  church,  like  many  others  in  the  South, 
had  to  take  care  of  itself.  When  the  war  was  over  and 
he  returned  to  Charleston,  he  found  a  stricken  city  and 
an  impoverished  people,  with  scattered  and  dismantled 
congregations,  calling  for  the  exercise  of  all  of  his 
faith  and  piety.  Although  he  began  work  with  the 
white  churches,  his  heart  went  out  to  his  old  negro 
members,  many  of  whom  remained  in  the  city.  "WTien 
these,  getting  together,  formally  called  him  to  become 
their  pastor,  he  consented,  provided  the  rules  that  had 
governed  the  church  during  slavery  should  still  be  the 
law  of  the  church.  To  this  the  negroes  heartily  agreed, 
and  he  became  the  pastor  of  the  negroes  as  well  as  of 
the  white  people  of  Glebe  Street.  This  relation  con- 
tinued until  1869,  when  the  action  of  the  General  As- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  105 

sembly  recommending  that  the  negroes  be  placed  in 
sej^arate  church,  led  to  the  setting  off  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty-five  negroes  who  were  organized  into  a  sepa- 
rate church,  and  Dr.  Girardeau's  relation  to  them  was 
ended.  During  the  last  two  years  of  his  work  as  pas- 
tor of  both  the  white  and  colored  people  Dr.  J.  B,  Mack 
was  associated  with  him  in  the  work. 


CHAPTER  IV 


THE  CONFEDERATE  CHAPLAIN 

By  D.  W.  McLaurix. 

I  have  been  requested  to  briefly  sketch  my  recollec- 
tions of  the  services  of  the  late  Reverend  John  L.  Gir- 
ardeau, D.  D.,  as  chaplain  of  the  Twenty-third  Regi- 
ment of  the  South  Carolina  Volunteers. 

Upon  first  blush  it  may  appear  but  a  small  under- 
taking to  follow  the  course  and  delineate  the  services 
of  this  active  man  and  eulogize  his  conduct  and  trans- 
cendent genius.  But  after  the  lapse  of  fifty  years, 
which  have  been  filled  with  shifting  scenes  and  ruth- 
less contact  with  this  workaday  world,  I  find  that  the 
mind  is  not  so  quick  to  summons  to  its  command  the 
details  of  those  years  of  conflict. 

It  is  true  that  no  man  who  followed  the  Stars  and 
Bars  as  his  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  his  pillar  of 
fire  by  night  can  refrain,  at  times,  from  contemplating 
retrospectively  and  living  over  again  the  days  when  he 
battled  for  the  life  of  the  Confederacy.  When  an 
attempt  is  made,  however,  to  summons  the  actors  in 
those  bloody  dramas  upon  the  stage  and  take  a  pano- 
ramic view  of  the  entire  four  years  of  the  death-deal- 
ing tempest,  there  are  numerous  details  which  escape 
the  memory  and  leave  only  their  shadowy  forms 
behind. 

It  is  needless  to  mention  the  impossibility,  in  a  brief 
sketch  such  as  this  must  necessarily  be,  of  doing  justice 
to  the  object  of  the  discourse,  and  in  my  portrayal  there 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  107 

will  of  necessity  appear  very  often  the  personal  pro- 
noun. 

In  treating  of  the  army  life  of  our  chaplain,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  follow,  in  a  casual  way,  the  checkered 
career  of  our  regiment,  and  in  doing  so,  it  will  only  be 
necessary  to  recall  that  throughout  the  varying  vicissi- 
tudes, the  hardships  of  the  march,  the  bloody  carnage 
of  the  battlefield,  or  the  quiet  and  less  dramatic  routine 
of  the  camp,  he  was  ever  with  us,  inspiring  confidence 
by  his  presence,  inculcating  a  just  conception  of  our 
duty  to  our  country  and  to  our  God. 

In  the  summer  of  1861  Col.  L.  M.  Hatch  organized 
four  companies  from  Charleston  District  into  a  bat- 
talion for  coast  service.  In  the  early  fall  six  compa- 
nies from  the  Piedmont  section  of  South  Carolina  were 
added  to  it  and  organized  as  the  Twenty-third  regi- 
ment of  South  Carolina  Volunteers.  It  was  upon  this 
organization  that  Doctor  John  L.  Girardeau  was 
appointed  to  attend  as  chaplain.  Here  began  the  ser- 
vices that  were  to  end  only  with  his  capture,  which 
occurred  when  the  bleeding  Confederacy  w^as  tottering 
to  its  fall. 

The  regiment,  as  it  assembled  on  Morris  Island,  was 
composed  of  four  companies  from  Charleston,  A,  B,  C, 
and  D;  two  companies  from  Marion,  E  and  H;  Com- 
pany F  from  Chester;  Company  G  from  Marlboro; 
Company  I  from  Clarendon,  and  Company  K  from 
Sumter.  This  was  the  consummation  of  the  organiza- 
tion, and  we  began  regular  battalion  and  regimental 
drill.  About  this  time  was  begun  the  construction  of 
Fort  Wagener,  which  later  assisted  in  withstanding 
the  Federal  siege. 

It  was  near  Fort  Wagener  in  March,  1862,  that  a 
vessel,  while  trying  to  run  the  blockade,  was  grounded, 


108  The  Life  Work  of 

and  so  near  was  it  to  our  position  that  at  low  tide  a 
large  number  of  our  regiment  waded  out  to  it  for  the 
purpose  of  saving  the  cargo.  The  Union  gunboats 
immediately  opened  fire  upon  us.  As  I  had  been 
drilled  in  artillery  practice  prior  to  this  time,  I  was 
detailed  by  the  colonel  of  the  regiment  to  take  position 
behind  a  sand  hill  with  two  pieces  of  field  artillery 
and  return  the  fire.  After  a  spirited  duel,  lasting  sev- 
eral minutes,  the  Union  boats  withdrew,  leaving  three 
of  our  men  wounded  b}-  fragments  of  shells.  We  then 
proceeded  to  bring  the  remainder  of  the  cargo  ashore 
and  burn  the  vessel. 

We  continued  our  routine  camp  duties  until  April, 
when  we  were  reorganized  and  enlisted  for  the  war. 
Capt.  H.  L.  Benbow  was  elected  colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment, Capt.  R.  H.  Roberts,  lieutenant-colonel,  and  John 
R.  Wilden,  major. 

On  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  following  June  we  were 
to  be  brought  for  the  first  time  within  sight  of  the 
clash  of  arms.  The  enemy  made  a  desperate  assault 
upon  the  fortifications  of  Secession ville,  James  Island, 
and  after  a  desperate  struggle,  were  repulsed  by  a  por- 
tion of  Evans'  Brigade  and  driven  to  their  boats  in 
Stono  River. 

Immediately  following  this  repulse  there  occurred 
an  incident  worth  relating.  The  ascendency  of  the 
Christ -spirit  above  human  nature  was  never  better 
exemplified.  Dr.  Girardeau,  though  one  of  the  most 
ardent  of  Southerners,  one,  in  fact,  who  was  never 
reconstructed,  went  down  on  his  knees  by  these  dying 
Union  soldiers  and  offered  up  fervent  prayers  to  his 
God  for  their  final  salvation.  R.  E.  Seabrook  described 
this  incident  to  the  News  and  Courier  in  the  following 
language: 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  109 

"The  death  of  the  lamented  Dr.  J.  L.  Girardeau 
recalls  an  incident  of  the  desperate  assault  on  the 
earthworks  of  Secessionville,  James  Island,  during 
the  late  war,  which  has  never  been  published,  and  yet 
is  not  only  worthy  of  record,  but  also  eminently  char- 
acteristic of  the  Christian  charity  of  that  good  and 
great  man. 

"On  the  morning  of  June  16,  1862,  I,  with  others  of 
my  command,  was  detailed  to  act  as  one  of  a  bodyguard 
and  as  a  courier  for  Gen.  N.  G.  Evans,  in  command  of 
our  troops  engaged  in  defence  of  James  Island.  Imme- 
diately after  the  gallant  repulse  of  the  enemy.  General 
Evans  rode  into  the  earthworks  in  order  to  make 
arrangements  to  meet  a  second  assault,  momentarily 
expected. 

"As  we  approached  the  rear  of  the  work,  the  first 
thing  that  attracted  my  attention  was  a  large  number — 
fifty  or  more — of  mortally  wounded  and  dying  Fed- 
eral soldiers,  who  had  been  collected  and  placed  in  the 
excavation  behind  the  magazine.  In  the  midst  of  these, 
on  his  knees,  was  Dr.  Girardeau  offering  up  an  earnest 
and  eloquent  prayer  for  those  dying  soldiers,  so  lately 
the  enemies  of  all  he  loved.  I  was  so  moved  I  forgot 
war  and  the  dangers  incident  thereto.  In  Adew  of  the 
fact  that  Dr.  Girardeau  was  an  ardent,  if  not  bitter, 
advocate  of  Southern  rights,  this  triumph  of  Christian 
virtue  over  human  nature,  this  absolute  forgiveness 
accorded  to  dying  and  no  longer  active  enemies,  empha- 
sized his  God-like  soul  and  brings  out  in  radiant  light 
the  benediction  of  this  true  disciple  of  the  Master. 
The  scene,  as  witnessed  under  such  tragic  surroundings, 
is  worthy  of  an  artist's  brush  and  deserves  to  be  handed 
down  as  a  study,  exemplifying,  as  it  does,  the  influence 
of  Christ's  teachings  in  the  most  trying  circumstances. 


110  The  Life  Work  of 

'Forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  those  who  tres- 
pass against  us.'  *' 

By  the  20th  day  of  June  the  Seventeenth,  Eigh- 
teenth, Twenty-second  and  Twenty-third  regiments, 
and  Holcomb's  Legion  were  combined  into  a  brigade, 
and  N.  G.  Evans  was  placed  in  command.  Then  began 
our  work  in  earnest.  Our  regimental  and  brigade 
drills  became  a  serious  matter,  as  we  realized  that  we 
were  preparing  for  active  service  in  Virginia. 

In  the  latter  part  of  that  memorable  month  of  June, 
1862,  our  brigade  was  ordered  to  Virginia,  to  the  great 
delight  of  all.  We  passed  through  Richmond  and 
were  stationed  at  Thayer's  Farm  for  a  few  days,  only 
to  break  camp  on  a  minute's  notice  and  take  up  the 
march  for  Malvern  Hill  and  there,  under  General 
Longstreet,  to  participate  in  the  historic  battle  of 
that  name.  The  slaughter  on  that  day  was  fearful, 
and  the  fighting  continued  long  after  darkness  had 
fallen.  Through  the  drenching  rain  on  the  following 
morning  we  looked  for  the  enemy  in  vain;  they  had 
withdrawn  under  cover  of  darkness. 

While  awaiting  the  designated  hour  for  the  assault, 
Dr.  Girardeau  showed  his  earnest  solicitation  for  the 
spiritual  and  physical  man  by  speaking  words  of  hope 
and  cheer,  and  urging  all  to  pray  for  Divine  assistance. 
Upon  this  bloody  field  we  saw  the  tender  consideration 
with  which  he  treated  the  wounded.  Confederate  and 
Federal  alike,  and  here  was  the  real  beginning  of  my 
friendship  for  that  prince  of  men,  which  afterwards 
became  cemented  by  the  common  brotherhood  of  suffer- 
ing and  privations  which  we  underwent  together. 
From  this  time  on  to  the  close  of  the  war  Dr.  Girar- 
deau became  more  closely  associated  with  our  regiment, 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  Ill 

until  he  became  the  personal  friend  of  every  man  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact. 

Within  a  few  days  we  were  issued  five  days'  rations 
and  twenty-five  rounds  more  of  ammunition  and  took 
up  the  march  for  Richmond.  Here  we  were  loaded  on 
the  cars  and  carried  over  to  Gordonsville,  and  there 
saw  for  the  first  time  the  idol  of  the  South,  and  the 
terror  of  the  Union  lines,  G^n.  Thomas  J.  Jackson. 

History  is  replete  with  illustrations  of  hardships 
borne  by  the  men  in  the  ranks.  Southern  history,  at 
least,  rings  with  applause  for  the  immortal  Stonewall 
Jackson  and  his  famous  foot  cavalry.  From  this  time 
on  to  the  close  of  the  war  we  were  to  undergo  the  same 
hardships  that  gave  the  Stonewall  brigade  a  place  in 
history.  We  were  moved  as  men  upon  a  chess  board. 
From  Gordonsville  we  were  marched  to  Martin's  Cross 
Roads  and  went  into  camp  for  several  days. 

A  glance  at  any  authentic  history  will  readily  reveal 
the  forced  marches,  the  skirmishes,  and  the  fights  in 
which  we  participated  from  Malvern  Hill  to  Second 
Manassas.  On  several  occasions,  when  the  weary  sol- 
diers were  staggering  along,  scarcely  able  to  go,  after 
having  marched  all  day  and  night.  Dr.  Girardeau 
would  dismount  and  lend  his  horse  to  some  one  and  he 
would  take  up  the  march  with  the  regiment. 

After  a  hard  march  we  reached  the  Rapidan  River 
and  were  permitted  a  few  hours  rest.  Early  in  the  fol- 
lowing morning  we  were  awakened  by  the  dull  roar  of 
cannon  and  the  rattle  of  musketry,  and  on  the  distant 
hills  we  could  see  the  blue  lines  in  motion.  We  forded 
the  river,  formed  in  line  of  battle  and  continued  in 
our  position  until  far  into  the  day.  Under  a  heavy 
artillery  fire  here,  we  lost  the  first  man  in  our  com- 
pany— Corporal  J.   W.   Allen.     The   summer   sun   on 


112  The  Life  Work  of 

this  sultry  da}'  was  almost  unbearable,  but  toward 
evening  we  began  our  march  for  the  Eappahannock. 

Here  followed  a  chain  of  events  which  would  have 
been  laughable,  indeed,  had  it  not  been  so  serious. 
We  were  ordered  to  store  our  baggage  for  transporta- 
tion to  Brandy  Station.  An  unfortunate  cavalry  raid 
destroyed  all  of  our  possessions,  and  for  months  we 
were  forced  to  forego  the  pleasures  of  a  change  of 
clothing.  Kain,  dust,  and  heat  were  alike  deposited  on 
everybody's  one  and  only  uniform. 

On  the  28th  of  August  we  arrived  at  Manassas  Gap 
and  halted  for  the  night.  AMien  the  first  gray  streaks 
of  dawn  were  lighting  the  Virginia  sky  on  the  morning 
of  the  29th,  we  were  ordered  to  fall  in  line  and  began  a 
double  quick  march  for  Bull  Run. 

We  met  the  enemy  on  this  little  stream,  already  made 
famous  by  the  battle  of  that  name,  fought  on  its  banks 
one  year  before.  The  fighting  was  hard  and  the  ground 
stubbornly  contested ;  however,  we  succeeded  in  driving 
the  blue  lines  back,  and  just  before  night  repulsed  a 
determined  cavalry  charge.  We  rested  on  our  arms 
that  night  and  awoke  to  reneAv  the  conflict. 

In  the  early  hours  of  the  morning  the  hills  echoed 
with  the  roar  of  artillery,  and  the  battle  was  begun. 
The  enemy  made  a  desperate  attack  on  our  lines,  but 
were  repulsed.  One  attack  followed  another;  the 
lines  surged  back  and  forth;  first  advancing  and  then 
receding,  and  so  it  continued  throughout  the  day.  As 
the  night  was  closing  in  on  this  bloody  field  the  Union 
lines  began  breaking  up  and  General  Lee  ordered  a 
charge  along  the  whole  line. 

General  Hood  advanced  his  Texans  to  the  front  and 
right,  and  our  brigade  followed  over  the  same  ground 
where  the  havoc  that  had  been  wrought  was  easily  dis- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  113 

cernable.  The  ground  was  strewn  with  the  dead  and 
dying.  Hood's  Texas  Rangers  had  made  a  desperate 
assault.  To  our  left  was  Walker  and  his  Alabamians. 
This  was  one  of  the  most  fatal  battles  of  the  war  for 
our  regiment.  We  advanced  under  heavy  artillery  and 
musketry  fire  Avhich  was  literally  sweeping  the  field. 
Colonel  Benbow  and  Major  Wilden  were  both  wounded, 
of  which  wound  the  latter  died  a  week  later. 

We  were  ordered  to  take  the  Union  battery  which 
was  dealing  its  iron  death  to  our  ranks.  We  would 
fall  down  until  the  discharge  was  fired  over  our  heads 
and  arise  and  run.  This  continued  until  we  were 
within  about  a  hundred  yards  of  the  battery,  when  we 
gave  the  rebel  yell,  dashed  up  the  incline,  sweeping 
everything  before  us.  We  captured  the  battery  and 
pursued  the  enemy  until  after  dark,  when  a  halt  was 
ordered  for  the  night.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Roberts 
received  a  fatal  wound  in  this  charge,  of  which  he  died 
a  week  later. 

Another  great  battle  had  been  won,  but  at  a  fearful 
cost.  More  than  two-thirds  of  our  regiment  was  killed 
or  wounded.  Many  are  the  recorded  acts  of  heroic  con- 
duct on  this  bloody  field,  but,  like  the  man  in  the  ranks, 
without  whom  there  could  be  no  army  nor  ever  a 
battle  won,  but  whose  name  is  never  mentioned  in  song 
or  story,  so  was  our  beloved  chaplain  as  he  moved 
among  us,  constantly  exposed  to  the  deadly  fire  of  the 
enemy,  trying  to  alleviate  the  suifering  of  the  wounded, 
and  assist  them  in  making  peace  with  their  God  before 
being  ushered  into  His  presence. 

Following  this  great  battle  came  our  first  Maryland 
campaign.  Dr.  Girardeau  did  not  accompany  the  regi- 
ment into  Maryland.  He  remained  by  the  bedside  of 
his    friends,    Lieutenant-Colonel    Roberts    and    Major 


114  The  Life  Work  of 

Wilden,  until  his  vigilance  was  relieved  by  the  grim 
reaper,  Death,  which  carried  those  intimate  friends 
across  the  still  waters  within  fifteen  minutes  of  each 
other.  Beyond  the  Potomac  we  were  in  the  midst  of 
the  fight.  Boonsboro  and  Antietam,  or  Sharpsburg,  as 
it  was  called,  are  too  fully  set  forth  upon  the  pages  of 
history  to  require  any  review  at  my  hands.  After  the 
latter,  however — one  of  the  bloodiest  battles  of  the 
entire  war — we  about  faced  and  retraced  our  march 
across  the  Potomac  into  Virginia. 

We  went  into  camp  near  Winchester,  and  were  here 
joined  by  Dr.  Girardeau,  to  the  great  delight  of  all. 
Here  we  were  allowed  to  rest  and  recuperate,  and  we 
were  joined  by  a  number  of  those  who  had  been  pre- 
vented by  wounds  and  sickness.  In  this  quiet  and  beau- 
tiful valley  of  the  Shenandoah  was  constructed  a  rough 
house  of  worship,  in  which  prayer  services  were  held 
regularly  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

In  the  early  days  of  December,  1862,  we  were  started 
on  the  march  for  Fredericksburg,  but  had  gone  only  a 
short  distance  when  our  regiment  was  loaded  on  the 
cars,  which  were  covered  with  snow,  and  passed 
through  Richmond  to  Tarboro,  N.  C.  A  wait  of  sev- 
eral days  and  we  were  moved  on  to  Kinston,  and  then 
went  into  encampment  near  New  Bern. 

Our  brief  stay  here  was  among  the  most  enjoyable 
of  the  war.  We  were  furnished  with  fresh  vegetables 
and  various  other  foods  that  were  soon  thereafter  to 
become  unknown  in  our  army.  But  the  All-Wise  Dis- 
penser has  seen  fit  to  allow  the  mingling  of  the  bitter 
with  the  sweet ;  to  allow  the  poisonous  vine  to  entwine 
itself  around  the  vines  of  luscious  grapes.  So,  neces- 
sarily, when  the  country  was  overrun  with  the  iron 
heel  of  war,  and  the  blood  of  patriots  flowed  on  every 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  115 

field,  we  could  not  remain  idle.  General  Foster,  of  the 
Union  army  was  approaching  Goldsboro  with  seven 
thousand  men  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  rail- 
road. General  Evans,  with  his  brigade  of  twenty-five 
hundred  men,  marched  out  to  intercept  him  and  save 
the  railroad.  After  a  desperate  struggle  we  succeeded 
in  pressing  them  back  and  finally  drove  them  from  the 
field,  from  which  they  retired  to  New  Bern.  We  fol- 
lowed as  far  as  Kinston,  where  we  remained  until  the 
first  of  December,  and  from  there  went  to  Wilmington, 
N.  C,  where  we  were  quartered  for  the  winter. 

In  the  following  March  we  were  transported  to 
Charleston,  S.  C,  and  over  to  Mount  Pleasant  and 
Sullivan's  Island.  We  remained  here  for  over  a  month, 
enjoying  good  things  sent  from  home  and  seeing  some 
of  our  friends  from  various  parts  of  the  State. 

In  May  Col.  A.  D.  Smith,  with  the  Twenty-sixth 
regiment,  joined  our  brigade  and  remained  with  us 
throughout  the  remainder  of  the  war.  Shortly  after 
this  we  were  ordered  to  report  at  Jackson,  Miss.  It 
appeared  that  Gen.  Joseph  E.  Johnston  was  concen- 
trating his  forces  here  with  a  view  of  relieving  Vicks- 
burg,  which  was  undergoing  that  historic  siege.  Upon 
our  arrival  we  went  into  camp  on  the  bank  of  Pearl 
River.  About  the  1st  of  July  we  were  marched  up  the 
Big  Black  River  and  on  toward  Vicksburg.  We  were 
halted  without  warning  and  about-faced  and  marched 
back.  All  was  in  confusion;  there  seemed  to  be  some 
mystery  about  this  strange  proceeding,  and  finally  the 
news  was  whispered  down  the  line  that  Vicksburg, 
with  all  its  garrison,  had  surrendered. 

The  hardships  of  this  march  were  almost  unbearable. 
The  road  was  ground  into  a  fine  dust  several  inches 
deep;  there  was  no  water  to  be  had  except  from  cow 


116  The  Life  Work  of 

ponds,  which  were  stagnant  and  pregnant  with  the  seeds 
of  pestilence  and  death.  All  this,  under  a  July  sun, 
contributed  to  the  hardships.  The  Union  army  was 
following  close  upon  our  heels.  General  Johnston 
halted  and  threw  up  temporary  works  and  awaited  the 
attack,  which  came  with  great  energy.  These  assaults 
continued  for  eight  days,  always  with  great  vigor,  but 
we  succeeded  in  repulsing  them  with  heavy  loss. 

Our  regiment  bore  the  brunt  of  the  battle  in  these 
engagements.  We  were  sent  out  as  skirmishers.  One 
shell  wounded  the  color-bearer,  Elwell,  who  lost  his 
right  arm.  After  the  war  he  became  a  minister  in  the 
South  Carolina  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
Two  of  the  color-guards  were  also  wounded  and  one 
was  killed.  I  alone  of  the  five  remained  unhurt,  and 
carried  the  colors  for  some  time  thereafter. 

General  Johnston  then  evacuated  Jackson  and  fell 
back  on  Meridian  but  was  not  followed. 

In  August  we  were  ordered  to  Savannah,  Ga.,  where 
we  went  into  camp  on  the  Isle  of  Hope  for  a  short  time, 
and  then  were  moved  to  Charleston.  S.  C,  and  stationed 
on  Sullivan's  Island,  doing  picket  duty  on  Long  Island 
and  relieving  the  garrison  at  Fort  Sumter,  occasion- 
ally, for  several  months. 

Early  in  January.  1864,  we  were  again  moved  to 
Wilmington,  X.  C,  where  we  remained  until  the  fol- 
lowing May,  when  we  were  ordered  to  meet  Butler  at 
Bermuda  Hundred,  Va.,  on  which  point  he  was  mov- 
ing for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  railroads.  After 
continual  engagements  for  some  time  we  succeeded  in 
driving  the  Union  forces  away  from  the  railroad. 

On  the  loth  day  of  June  we  were  ordered  to  Peters- 
burg to  meet  General  Grant.  On  the  morning  of  the 
16th  there  was  some  skirmishing,  and  in  the  afternoon 
the  fighting  was  severe  for  several  hours,  continuing 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  117 

at  intervals  until  far  into  the  night.  By  dawn  on  the 
following  morning  the  battle  was  in  full  progress. 
There  was  charge  and  counter  charge  along  the  whole 
line  of  battle.  The  unabating  fury  extended  far  into 
the  evening  without  cessation.  About  dusk  the  Union 
army  made  a  desperate  assault  on  our  lines,  and  after 
a  death  struggle  at  each  others'  throats,  our  line  was 
broken,  and  for  a  time  the  situation  was  serious  indeed, 
but  we  were  reinforced  and  the  battle  broke  out  with 
renewed  fury  and  continued  until  after  midnight, 
when  the  Union  army  withdrew  and  left  us  in  posses- 
sion of  the  field. 

On  this  night  we  were  ordered  to  desert  our  lines, 
fall  back  a  few  hundred  yards  and  reform.  General 
Beauregard  had  found  his  lines  entirely  too  long  for 
the  number  of  men  he  had,  so  we  took  a  position  nearer 
to  Petersburg  and  began  to  dig,  with  split  canteens, 
bayonets,  tin  plates,  and  anything  that  we  could  get, 
that  could  be  used,  to  erect  our  fortifications,  and  this 
was  the  line  permanently  established  and  the  begin- 
ning of  that  formidable  line  of  breastworks  that  defied 
Grant  and  the  whole  Northern  army  for  nearly  a  year. 

In  the  early  morning  of  the  18th  the  conflict  was 
renewed.  By  noon  the  assault  was  terrific,  as  the 
Union  army  hurled  brigade  after  brigade  against  our 
newly  made  works,  and  their  guns  assisted,  but  with 
little  effect.  Night  came  and  there  was  a  temporary 
lull,  and  then  could  be  seen  the  fearful  cost  at  which 
the  Federals  had  made  their  determined  but  futile 
attack,  as  the  ground  was  thickly  strewn  with  their 
dead. 

On  the  evening  of  the  18th  the  two  great  armies  had 
come  into  line  facing  each  other  for  the  death  grapple, 
this  time  for  the  settlement  forever  of  the  issues  by 


118  The  Life  Work  of 

force  of  arms.  Grant  and  Lee,  those  grim  adversaries, 
stood  in  full  battle  array  for  the  final  conflict,  the  siege 
of  Petersburg  had  begun. 

In  the  trenches  for  days,  weeks  and  months,  Dr.  Gir- 
ardeau was  always  with  the  soldiers,  bearing  their  pri- 
vations and  undergoing  the  same  hardships  with  them, 
always  lending  cheer  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact. He  held  regular  prayer  meetings  even  under  these 
trying  conditions,  and  many  times  he  came  into  the 
trenches  and,  gathering  a  little  crowd  around  him, 
expounded  the  Scripture  and  prayed  with  them.  On 
these  occasions,  so  close  were  the  lines  together,  that 
our  singing  would  attract  the  attention  of  the  Union 
gunners  and  cause  them  to  open  fire  on  us. 

On  one  occasion.  Dr.  Dabney,  the  chaplain  of  the 
Army  of  Xorthern  Virginia,  invited  Dr.  Girardeau  to 
conduct  services  for  him  in  Petersburg.  The  house  was 
crowded  to  the  extent  of  its  capacity,  and  just  before 
the  services  began  Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee  and  his  staff 
came  in  and  occupied  the  seats  reserved  on  the  rostrum. 
Although  the  siege  was  in  full  blast,  under  the  magic 
of  his  eloquence  we  were  forced  away  from  the  con- 
sideration of  this  mundane  sphere  and  given  a  picture 
of  the  world  where  bloodshed  is  unknown. 

Conditions  gradually  grew  worse  in  the  trenches. 
We  could  not  expose  the  least  part  of  our  person  above 
the  works  without  the  imminent  danger  of  being  picked 
off  by  a  sharpshooter's  bullet.  The  war  had  practically 
narrowed  down  to  the  desire  to  kill,  regardless  of  how 
it  was  done.  There  were  no  more  battles  fought  as  in 
the  first  few  years  of  the  struggle,  but  from  morning 
until  night,  and  throughout  the  night  the  Union  bat- 
teries were  never  hushed. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  119 

There  was  but  little  change  in  general  conditions 
until  July,  when  it  became  apparent  to  all  that  the 
enemy  was  tunnelling  somewhere,  probably  under  our 
works,  as  we  could  see  from  day  to  day  fresh  dirt  which 
they  were  hauling  out.  So  sure  of  this  fact  had  some 
of  our  generals  become  that  they  sank  several  shafts 
and  tunnelled  before  our  works  for  the  purpose  of 
intercepting  their  tunnel.  This,  however,  proved  a 
failure,  as  we  did  not  intercept  them. 

History  records  the  fatal  occurrence  of  the  Crater^ 
but  it  may  not  be  amiss  for  me  to  state  here  that  our 
regiment  was  stationed  directly  over  this  mine  from 
the  18th  day  of  June  until  the  29th  day  of  July,  when 
we  were  moved  about  a  hundred  yards  up  the  trenches 
to  our  right,  and  the  Twenty-second  Regiment  took  our 
place. 

About  4 :30  on  the  morning  of  the  30th  of  July  the 
whole  earth  seemed  to  tremble,  and  to  our  left  there 
shot  far  into  the  heavens  a  solid  mass  of  fire,  smoke, 
cannon,  timbers  and  human  beings,  as  if  a  volcano  had 
been  born  in  a  minute.  The  expected  had  come,  but 
even  though  expected,  it  was  a  great  surprise.  We 
were  in  position  in  a  few  minutes,  however,  ready  for 
the  attack  that  we  were  certain  would  follow. 

The  smoke  had  scarcely  died  away  when  the  Union 
lines  surged  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  crater,  and  we 
opened  a  death-dealing  fire  upon  them.  They  halted, 
swung  to  the  right  and  went  into  the  mouth  of  the 
crater.  Charge  after  charge  was  made  with  like  result. 
One  brigade  of  negroes  was  among  those  who  were 
hurled  into  this  crater.  Our  mortar  batteries  were  sta- 
tioned back  of  this  seething  mine  and  the  iron  hail  was 
terrific.  The  hole  was  soon  filled  with  the  dead  and 
dying.    Several  attempts  were  made  by  the  Federals  to 


120  The  Life  Work  of 

pass  around  the  crater  and  occupy  Cemetery  Hill  in 
the  rear,  but  they,  like  those  who  had  come  before, 
were  hurled  back  to  the  same  doom. 

Our  regiment  lost  heavier  in  this  engagement  than 
in  any  other  during  the  war.  The  ensign,  D.  J.  Kelly, 
was  killed  and  Corporal  Eichbourg,  and  one  of  the 
color-guards  Avounded.  I  and  one  other  of  the  color- 
guards  escaped  injury. 

We  were  in  the  midst  of  the  fight  from  the  time  of 
the  explosion  until  the  last  charge  was  made  about  3 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  drove  them  from  the 
crater.  We  buried  our  dead  in  the  rear,  and  hundreds 
of  the  men  in  blue  in  the  crater  and  in  front  of  the 
works.  Under  the  July  sun  the  stench  from  the  dead 
men  and  the  blood  was  almost  unbearable,  and  this 
continued  for  months.  Xo  one  who  has  never  under- 
gone such  an  experience  can  realize  the  conditions  as 
they  really  were. 

The  siege  continued  without  cessation.  We  were 
always  in  the  trenches,  except  for  a  day  or  two  at  the 
time,  when  we  were  moved  out  to  rest  and  others  took 
our  places.  Xot  only  were  we  fighting  overwhelming 
odds  in  our  front,  but  daily  the  contest  Avith  famine 
grew  more  acute.  We  were  half  clad  and  shivering 
over  feeble  fires,  exposed  to  snow  and  sleet  with  the 
pangs  of  hunger,  an  ever  present  companion,  while 
sickness  and  disease  grew  apace. 

As  the  spring  opened  General  Grant  began  moboliz- 
ing  his  entire  force  before  Petersburg  for  the  final 
struggle.  The  Confederate  lines  had  been  stretched 
until  they  were  almost  ready  to  break  of  their  own 
weight.  To  the  far-sighted  the  fall  of  the  Confederacy 
was  imminent  and  inevitable.  Only  that  hope  which 
"springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast"  was  left  us.  The 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  121 

South  must  succumb  to  the  overwhelming  numbers  and 
powerful  material  resources  of  the  North,  despite  its 
courage  and  sacrifice. 

At  about  4  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  day  of 
March,  1865,  our  regiment  composed  a  part  of  the 
storming  force  under  the  intrepid  John  B.  Gordon  for 
the  capture  of  Fort  Stedman.  As  the  signal  gun  was 
fired  we  rushed  across  the  open  space  between  the  lines, 
captured  the  batteries  and  turned  them  on  the  blue 
hosts  that  were  swarming  around  us.  This  fort  was 
situated  about  the  center  of  the  Federal  lines.  Their 
batteries  of  each  side  commanded  a  direct  sweep  of  the 
field,  and  their  entire  batteries  were  turned  on  us.  The 
carnage  was  fearful,  as  charge  after  charge  was  made 
against  us  and  repulsed  with  heavy  loss. 

Our  anticipated  support  never  came.  We  captured 
the  fort  and  held  it  as  long  as  possible  under  the  with- 
ering fire  of  the  Federal  batteries  and  the  concentrated 
musketry  fire,  but  with  the  small  force  we  had  it  was 
impossible  to  long  hold  back  the  contending  hosts,  and 
those  who  were  not  killed  or  wounded  drifted  back  to 
our  lines.  So  ended  this  forlorn  hope  of  our  beleaguered 
army. 

It  was  now  apparent  that  General  Lee  was  desirous 
of  uniting  his  army  with  that  under  Johnston,  so  the 
evacuation  of  the  trenches  and  the  retreat  followed. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  follow  step  by  step  our  move- 
ments until  the  surrender  at  Appomattox,  as  our  des- 
perate struggle  for  a  lease  of  life,  even  when  bound 
hand  and  foot,  are  too  well  known  to  all  to  require 
mention  from  me.  On  the  retreat,  however,  at  one  time 
we  were  engaged  in  a  desperate  struggle  far  in  the 
night.  Dr.  Girardeau  approached  the  colonel  of  the 
regiment,  touched  him  on  the  shoulder,  asked  if  his 


122  The  Life  Work  of 

men  were  not  aiming  too  high,  and  suggested  that  they 
be  ordered  to  aim  lower.  Shortly  after  this  occurrence 
Dr.  Girardeau  was  captured  by  the  enemy,  and  I  shall 
briefly  refer  to  that  again. 

Then  came  the  closing  scene  of  one  of  the  greatest 
tragedies  ever  enacted  on  the  world's  stage.  Four  such 
acts  as  the  world  had  never  seen  before,  were  played  to 
their  conclusion.  Xow  the  last  act  was  over,  the  cur- 
tain fell,  the  actors  disappeared  from  the  stage,  the 
lights  were  extinguished,  the  Confederacy  was  dead. 

The  following  is  an  article  taken  from  the  Christian 
Oh  server^  coming  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  H.  C.  DuBose, 
D.  D.: 

"On  the  retreat  from  Richmond,  April,  1865,  besides 
the  decimated  battalions  of  a  noble  army,  two  chap- 
lains, James  McDowell  and  J.  L.  Girardeau,  were  rid- 
ing along  together,  when  they  alighted  and  sat  beside 
the  road  conversing  on  the  stern  realities  of  the  gloomy 
situation.  'The  Federals  are  coming,'  sounded  along 
the  lines.  The  former  rode  forward  and  joined  his  own 
brigade,  while  in  fifteen  minutes  the  latter,  with  his 
brave  comrades,  was  captured  and  on  his  way  to  John- 
son's Island.  He  returned  from  prison  about  the  1st 
of  July  to  his  family,  who  had  found  a  secure  refuge 
in  the  'back  woods'  of  Darlington  County,  S.  C. 

"One  of  his  fellow-captives,  Capt.  W.  E.  James,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  theological  class  in  the  island  fort- 
ress, soon  arranged  for  him  to  hold  ten  days'  services 
in  the  Darlington  church.  Veterans  from  all  over  the 
district,  with  their  wives  and  daughters,  gathered  to 
hear  the  Gospel  chieftain.  On  Sunday  morning,  to  an 
immense  audience,  he  preached  on  the  'Judgment  Day.' 
The  vast  galleries  were  packed,  and  just  in  front  of 
me  a  young  man  of  noble  birth,  but  deaf  and  dumb, 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  123 

stood  motionless  as  in  mute  astonishment  and  with 
fixed  gaze  he  beheld  the  face  of  the  inspired  orator, 
now  pale  with  fear,  then  flushed  with  anger,  at 
one  time  beaming  with  exquisite  tenderness,  and  at 
another  transfigured  before  the  congregation.  He  lis- 
tened, as  only  the  deaf  can,  through  the  portals  of  the 
eyes,  to  the  sweet  notes  of  welcome,  'Come,  ye  blessed,' 
uttered  by  Zion's  judge  to  the  host  ascending  to  the 
sky  with  thundering  hallelujahs;  or  to  the  deep  moans 
of  the  lost  descending  to  the  pit,  as  they  were  depicted 
by  the  shifting  lights  and  shadows  on  the  face  of  this 
prince  of  preachers.  It  was  the  grandest  tribute  paid 
to  sacred  eloquence  that  it  was  ever  my  lot  to  behold. 

"Soon  Dr.  Girardeau  returned  to  Charleston,  invited 
by  the  scattered  remnants  of  the  white  Presbyterian 
congregation,  and  was  met  at  the  depot  by  the  colored 
members  of  the  church,  who  desired  to  bear  him  on 
their  shoulders  through  the  streets,  and  could  scarce  be 
restrained  in  their  superabounding  enthusiasm. 

"In  a  foot  note  the  editor  of  the  volume  of  his  ser- 
mons, published  by  The  State  Company^  says :  'There 
is  nothing  in  the  manuscript  of  Dr.  Girardeau  to  show 
when  this  sermon  was  prepared.'  Either  at  the  time 
mentioned  or  during  my  seminary  course  I  heard 
some  minister  remark  that  Dr.  Girardeau  said  he  'wrote 
it  in  1858  and  had  never  altered  the  manuscript.' 

"Here,  a  half  century  having  passed,  a  lad,  who  was 
in  the  gallery  of  his  old  home  church,  and  who  heard 
that  sermon  on  the  July  after  the  sword  was  returned 
to  the  scabbard,  sits  July,  1908,  now  no  longer  young, 
in  his  Chinese  study  translating  this  same  sermon  into 
the  language  of  Simin,  to  form  with  biblical  material 
already  prepared,  the  forty-eighth  chapter  in  his 
'Christian  Theology.'     If  now  and  then  he  paused  in 


124  The  Life  Work  of 

his  pleasant  though  difficult  task  and  retired  from 
where  he  was  dictating  to  his  writer  to  allow  the  unbid- 
den tear  to  fall,  and  the  thought  would  arise,  'Why- 
should  a  man  who  could  preach  like  this  die?'  the 
response  would  soon  be  heard  in  the  depths  of  his 
soul,  'He  is  not  dead,  but  speaketh  in  the  tongue  of 
earth's  ancient  nation  for  whose  evangelization  he  so 
earnestly  and  so  frequently  pleaded  in  the  pulpits  of 
the  Southland.'  " 

My  labors  might  well  end  here  as  I  have,  in  a  very 
unsatisfactory  manner,  followed  like  a  thread  the 
movements  of  our  regiment.  In  fact,  this  may  appear 
to  some  as  more  of  a  sketch  of  that  regiment  than  of 
him  who  forms  the  basis  of  the  narrative,  but  it  would 
be  impossible  to  give  an  idea  of  his  hardships  without 
briefly  setting  forth  those  imposed  on  the  regiment 
with  which  he  was  associated.  And  in  this  connection 
I  shall  append  an  estimate  of  him  by  Dr.  J.  H. 
McNeilly,  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  a  few  excerpts  from 
some  of  his  addresses  delivered  after  peace  was  restored. 

Dr.  McNeilly  says: 

"Among  the  many  ministers  with  whom  I  have  been 
associated  in  the  course  of  my  ministry  of  fifty-six 
years;  my  memory  most  frequently  returns  to  the  Kev. 
John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  of  Columbia,  S.  C,  as  the 
one  who,  in  a  brief  time,  most  influenced  my  ideals  of 
the  ministry  of  the  Gospel,  and  inspired  me  with 
enthusiasm  in  my  calling. 

"My  personal  association  with  Dr.  Girardeau  was 
confined  to  three  months  during  the  War  between  the 
States,  in  1863,  though  we  had  occasional  correspond- 
ence by  letter,  and  I  met  him  two  or  three  times  on  his 
journeys  in  the  interest  of  Columbia  Seminary. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  125 

"In  the  campaign  under  General  Jos.  E.  Johnston  for 
the  relief  of  Vicksburg,  I  was  chaplain  of  the  Forty- 
ninth  Tennessee  Infantry — a  young  preacher  recently 
graduated  from  the  Danville,  Kentucky,  Seminary. 
Evans'  Brigade  of  South  Carolina  troops  was  sent  from 
Virginia  to  reinforce  General  Johnston  in  Mississippi. 
One  of  the  regiments  of  that  brigade  was  Colonel  Ben- 
bow's,  of  which  Dr.  Girardeau  was  chaplain.  I  had 
heard  a  great  deal  of  him  as  a  preacher  to  the  negroes, 
and  as  I  was  an  enthusiast  about  that  work,  I  at  once 
sought  him  out,  and  a  close  friendship  was  then  formed 
which  continued  to  his  death. 

"As  I  was  cut  off  from  books,  it  was  my  habit  during 
the  war  to  get  everything  I  could  out  of  every  preacher 
I  met.  As  the  pumping  process  went  on,  in  many  cases, 
it  did  not  take  long  to  exhaust  the  wells,  which  were 
not  always  deep,  and  soon  my  bucket  drew  up  sand  and 
mud.  But  with  Dr.  Girardeau  I  never  reached  the  bot- 
tom.   There  came  up  cool,  clear,  refreshing  waters. 

"I  was  impressed  by  his  wonderful  power  as  a 
preacher,  and  by  his  fluency,  clearness,  and  deep 
thought  in  conversation,  always  brightened  by  a  gentle 
and  vivacious  humor  that  relieved  it  of  tedium. 

"I  took  every  opportunity  to  hear  him  preach  to  the 
soldiers.  His  voice  was  a  marvelous  instrument,  clear 
as  a  bell,  sounding  like  a  bugle,  or  melting  into  ten- 
derest  pathos,  he  could  sound  the  triumph  of  victory, 
the  deepest  notes  of  passion,  or  the  gentlest  tones  of 
love.  He  generally  preached  for  an  hour;  and  chose 
for  his  subjects  the  highest  themes  of  the  gospel.  I 
remember  one  of  his  sermons  was  on  the  'Influence  of 
the  atonement  on  other  worlds  than  ours.'  I  don't 
remember  the  text,  but  it  was  something  showing 
angels'  interest  in  man's  salvation,  'which  things  the 


126  The  Life  Work  of 

angels  desire  to  look  into.'  His  sermons  abounded  in 
appeals  to  the  reason,  and  while  magnifying  God's  love, 
they  were  equally  strong  in  asserting  God's  justice.  He 
had  a  passion  for  righteousness.  His  manner  was  a 
vivacious  conversational  address:  and  as  some  great 
thought  flashed  before  him,  his  voice  rose  to  the  highest 
range  of  impassioned  utterance,  his  language  became 
vivid,  while  his  whole  frame  quivered  with  emotion. 

"I  have  heard  him  preach  to  1,000  to  1,500  soldiers, 
and  with  all  the  distractions  of  camp  about  them, 
sometimes  in  expectation  of  immediate  battle,  the  whole 
mass  of  men  were  held  spellbound  by  his  eloquence.  I 
think  not  a  man  left  the  audience. 

"As  another  example  of  his  power  as  a  preacher,  this 
was  told  me  by  my  cousin,  a  major  of  artillery,  who  was 
a  prisoner  at  Johnson's  Island.  Dr.  Girardeau  was 
taken  prisoner  and  carried  to  the  island.  He  preached 
very  often  in  the  prison.  His  platform  was  the  center 
of  a  great  circle  from  which  the  streets  radiated  to  the 
various  sections  of  the  barracks.  My  cousin  told  me 
that  when  Dr.  Girardeau  preached,  not  only  the  circle, 
but  the  streets  as  far  as  he  could  be  heard,  were  crowded 
with  eager  listeners.  Confederates  and  Federal  guards 
all  mingled  together,  held  by  a  common  interest.  He 
said  many  men  dated  their  conversion  from  these  ser- 
vices. 

"As  an  illustration  of  Dr.  Girardeau's  power  in  the 
pulpit,  I  will  mention  an  incident  that  occurred  in 
Nashville,  some  time  in  the  seventies.  Dr.  T.  A.  Hoyt, 
a  classmate  and  warm  friend  of  Dr.  Girardeau,  was 
pastor  of  the  First  Church,  and  I  was  pastor  of  Wood- 
land Street.  We  were  holding  a  joint  meeting  in  the 
First  Church,  and  I  was  doing  the  preaching.  Dr. 
Girardeau  was  passing  through  Nashville,  and  stopped 


John  L.  Gikardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  127 

over  a  day  with  his  old  classmate.  Of  course  we  had 
him  to  preach.  The  service  was  held  in  the  basement 
of  the  church;  there  were  600  or  700  people  present. 
He  preached  from  the  text :  'Him  that  cometh  unto  Me, 
I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.'  He  lost  sight  of  everything 
but  the  loving  Saviour,  with  wide  arms  of  mercy,  wel- 
coming returning  sinners.  As  he  closed  I  and  the  whole 
audience  were  standing,  leaning  forward. 

"In  conversation  Dr.  Girardeau  was  admirable.  He 
would  listen  with  an  interested  manner  to  my  dreams 
and  speculations,  and  if  I  happened  to  suggest  a 
thought  that  took  hold  of  him,  he  would  throw  his  arms 
around  me  and  give  me  a  big  hug.  He  had  the  faculty 
of  all  great  conversers,  of  taking  a  crude  thought  and 
passing  it  through  the  crucible  of  his  own  mind  and 
giving  it  back  to  you  rich  and  full  with  new  meaning. 
We  had  the  habit,  after  the  day's  march  or  after  camp 
duties  were  over,  of  getting  together  and  talking  late 
into  the  night.  I  had  read  Sir  Wm.  Hamilton's  Lec- 
tures before  leaving  the  Seminary,  and  he  was  an 
enthusiast  on  metaphysical  subjects.  I  remember  he 
expressed  his  opinion  of  a  brother  minister  thus:  'A 
good  man,  a  strong  man,  a  fine  preacher,  but  he  don't 
care  a  button  for  the  absolute.' 

"The  last  night  we  were  together  was  at  Meridian, 
Mississippi.  His  brigade  had  been  ordered  back  to 
the  East,  and  was  to  start  the  following  morning.  We 
spread  our  blankets  on  the  depot  platform  a  little  after 
dark.  As  we  talked,  or  as  I  listened,  I  took  no  note  of 
time.  I  was  fascinated.  After  a  while  I  saw,  as  I 
thought,  the  moon  rising,  and  remarked,  'Now  we'll  get 
more  light  on  our  subject.'  But  it  was  the  sun  rising — 
we  had  spent  the  whole  night  in  this  soul  communion. 


128  The  Life  Work  of 

"I  had  but  little  chance  to  see  his  ministrations  to 
the  wounded  and  dying,  for  my  attention  was  taken 
up  with  my  own  suffering  comrades,  but  at  the  Battle 
of  Jackson,  Mississippi,  after  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  all 
of  our  wounded  were  taken  to  a  camp  across  Pearl 
River,  and  there  I  could  note  the  tenderness  and  faith- 
fulness of  his  ministrations,  as  he  held  up  Christ  cruci- 
fied as  the  onh^  hope  of  a  sinner.  All  his  preaching, 
that  I  heard  in  the  army,  was  full  of  appeal  to  men  to 
accept  Christ  and  trust  him  for  life  or  death." 

In  1866,  at  Magnolia  Cemetery,  Dr.  Girardeau  deliv- 
ered an  address  in  memory  of  the  Confederate  dead, 
from  which  the  following  is  taken : 

"We  are  here  as  mourners  today.  We  hsLve  repaired 
to  this  burial  ground  to  mingle  the  tears  of  a  common 
sorrow,  and  to  pay  that  tribute  of  respect  to  our 
deceased  soldiers  which  was  previously  prevented  by 
the  hindrances  of  war.  The  act  which  we  are  assem- 
bled to  perform  is  suggested  not  by  acrimony  toward 
the  living,  but  by  affection  for  the  dead.  ...  It  affords, 
it  is  true,  not  only  an  expression  of  our  grief  over  the 
ashes  of  our  heroes,  but  of  our  admiration  for  their 
character,  and  our  love  for  their  memory  and  their 
names;  but  there  is  no  noble  and  generous  spirit,  even 
among  those  who  were  victors  in  the  great  and  san- 
guinary struggle  through  which  we  have  passed,  tliat 
would  refuse  us  the  consolation  of  dropping  a  tear,  and 
of  lajdng  our  chaplets  of  cypress  upon  the  graves  of 
our  dead. 

"WHiether  they  were  right  or  wrong  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  contest  which  cost  them  their  lives,  the 
men  whose  sunken  graA^es  we  repair,  and  whose  mem- 
ory we  honor,  died  for  us.  We  can  never,  never  forget 
that  thev  were  sacrificial  victims  on  the  altar  which 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  129 

we  helped  to  rear,  and  that  their  blood  was  poured  out 
like  water  in  defence  of  principles  which  we  avowed, 
and  which  we  counseled  and  exhorted  them  to  main- 
tain to  the  last  extremity.  For  that  cause  which  we  as 
well  as  they  regarded  as  the  exponent  of  constitutional 
liberty,  and  Avhich,  during  its  protracted  and  agon- 
izing struggle  for  existence,  we  loved  with  a  passionate 
intensity  which  no  words  can  express — for  that  cause 
these  men  encountered  every  hardship,  underwent 
every  privation,  and  freely  sacrificed  their  lives.  .   .   . 

"The  blood,  the  precious,  priceless  blood  of  our 
brethren,  may  seem  to  have  been  drunk  up  by  the 
earth  in  vain — but  whatever  of  truth,  whatever  of 
right,  whatever  of  pure  and  lofty  principle  there  was 
for  which  they  contended  and  for  Avhich  they  died, 
may,  in  another  day,  in  some  golden  age,  sung  by 
poets,  sages  and  prophets,  come  forth  in  the  resurrec- 
tion of  buried  principles  and  live  to  bless  mankind, 
when  the  bones  of  its  confessors  and  martyrs  shall 
have  mouldered  into  dust." 

At  this  same  spot,  when  the  dead  were  being  re-in- 
terred from  Gettysburg,  he  ended  his  address  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Heroes  of  Gettysburg!  Champions  of  constitu- 
tional rights!  Martyrs  for  regulated  liberty!  Once 
again,  farewell !  Descend  to  your  final  sleep  with  a 
people's  benediction  upon  your  names!  Kest  ye  here, 
soldiers  of  a  defeated — God  grant  it  may  not  be  a 
wholly  lost — Cause  !  We  may  not  fire  a  soldier's  salute 
over  your  dust,  but  the  pulses  of  our  hearts  beat  like 
muffled  drums,  and  every  deep-drawn  sigh  breathes  a 
low  and  passionate  requiem.  Memory  will  keep  her 
guard  of  honor  over  your  graves;  Love  will  bedew 
them  with  her  tears;  Faith  will  draw  from  them  her 


130  The  Life  Work  of 

inspiration  for  future  sacrifice;  and  Hope,  kindling 
her  torch  at  the  fires  which  glow  in  your  ashes,  will, 
in  its  light,  look  forward  to  a  day  when  a  people  once 
more  redeemed  and  enfranchised  will  confess  that  your 
death  w^as  not  in  vain." 

In  a  sermon  preached  in  the  Second  Presbyterian, 
now  the  Arsenal  Hill  Presbyterian  Church,  immedi- 
ately after  the  death  of  Jefferson  Davis,  he  used  this 
language : 

"Alas,  brethren  and  friends,  our  own  pathetic  cir- 
cumstances have  made  us  witnesses  of  the  transitori- 
ness  of  all  earthly  power.  Less  than  thirty  years  ago, 
a  young  country  sprung  at  once  into  lusty  vigor,  the 
co-ordinate  and  the  peer  of  the  mighty  nations  of  the 
world.  Maintaining  principles  tinctured  by  the  blood 
of  Revolutionary  j^atriots,  illustrated  by  brilliant  mili- 
tary genius,  borne  forward  by  the  intrepid,  the  daunt- 
less, the  unconquerable  valor  of  her  sons,  she  seemed 
destined  to  win  assured  existence  in  the  teeth  of  for- 
midable odds,  and  to  wrest  her  independence  from  the 
hands  of  fate. 

"The  mediatorial  sovereign  determined  otherwise. 
The  crash  of  final  disaster  came,  and  that  country  went 
down  into  the  grave  wrapped  in  her  own  blood-dyed 
and  battle-torn  starry  cross,  Avith  all  her  disarmed  and 
broken-hearted  children  gathered  round,  and  shedding 
the  tears  of  an  inconsolable  grief.  Her  sun,  whose  rays 
had  dazzled  the  eyes  of  the  on-looking  nations,  sunk 
beneath  the  horizon,  and  beam  after  beam  of  the  reced- 
ing splendor  has  vanished  from  the  sky,  as  hero  after 
hero  has  descended  to  the  tomb. 

"One  memorial  light  still  remained — a  zodiacal  light, 
shooting  its  columns  into  the  heavens  and  continuing 
to  mark  the  wake  of  the  departed  glory.     That,  too, 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  131 

has  now  faded  away  from  the  firmament,  and  dark- 
ness settles  upon  the  scene.  Jefferson  Davis  is  no  more. 
The  distinguished  man,  who  was  the  representative  of 
a  cause  we  once  called  ours,  has  gone  to  the  eternal 
sphere.  His  spirit  has  passed  beyond  the  consciousness 
of  earth's  praise  and  censures,  and  his  body  reposes  in 
the  gray  habit  of  his  loved  Confederacy.  Standing  in 
imagination,  with  bowed  heads,  reverent  mien,  and 
falling  tears  besides  the  bier  on  which  the  illustrious 
chieftain  sleeps  his  last  sleep,  contemplating  the  trans- 
itoriness  of  all  earthly  power,  the  evanescence  of  all 
earthly  glory,  encompassed  with  a  sea  of  uncertainty, 
threatening  to  swell  into  the  stormy  tumult  of  com- 
munism and  anarchy,  let  us  turn  for  refuge  to  the 
immovable  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"All  hail,  undying  King;  enthroned  on  Zion's  hill, 
conqueror  of  Herod  and  Pilate,  of  Jew  and  Gentile,  of 
sin  and  satan,  death  and  hell,  triumphant  recipient  of 
the  praises  of  angelic  hosts,  of  the  plaudits  of  the  uni- 
verse !  We  roll  our  interests  for  time  and  eternity 
upon  thy  everlasting,  almighty,  invincible  arms.  None 
who  confide  in  Thee  are  ever  confounded.  Blessed,  O 
Lord  of  armies,  is  the  people,  blessed  is  the  man  that 
trusteth  in  Thee!" 

It  was  twenty  years  after  the  storm  had  died  aw^ay 
and  the  waves  had  become  still,  before  I  saw  Dr.  Girar- 
deau again.  I  met  him  then  at  synod  in  Abbeville, 
S.  C.  The  last  time  it  was  ever  my  pleasure  to  be  in 
his  company  was  on  the  18th  day  of  December,  1866, 
when  he  dedicated  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Little 
Rock,  S.  C.  On  that  occasion  I  entertained  him  in 
my  home. 

I  shall  leave  those  intervening  years  to  some  one  else 
to  portray,  and  merely  submit  this  as  my  tribute  to  the 


132  The  Life  Work  of 

most  sublime,  the  most  eloquent,  the  most  devoutly 
Christian  man  with  whom  I  have  ever  been  associated. 
He,  like  the  soldiers  over  whose  graves  he  so  eloquenth- 
pleaded,  laid  everything  on  the  altar  of  his  country, 
and  received  from  the  wreck  of  war  nothing  but  the 
gratitude  and  love  of  his  comrades. 


CHAPTER  V 


PASTORATE  AFTER  THE  WAR 

By  Thos.  H.  Law,  D.  D. 

When  the  Confederacy  fell  and  hostilities  between 
the  North  and  the  South  ceased,  Rev.  J.  L.  Girardeau 
was  languishing  as  a  prisoner  of  war  on  Johnson's 
Island.  For  three  years  or  more  he  had  been  serving 
faithfully,  zealously  and  acceptably  as  chaplain  of  the 
Twenty-third  South  Carolina  Regiment,  and  on  the 
final  retreat  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia, 
although  a  non-combatant  and  pursuing  strictly  his 
spiritual  duties,  he  was  taken  prisoner  along  with 
other  chaplains,  surgeons  and  non-combatants,  who, 
according  to  the  rules  of  civilized  warfare,  should 
have  been  undisturbed,  and  hustled  off,  first  to  Wash- 
ington City,  and  then,  despite  the  remonstrances 
against  such  unwaranted  treatment,  to  the  Federal 
prison  on  Johnson's  Island.  And  here  he  was  held 
a  prisoner,  under  all  the  hardships  and  cruelties  which 
have  made  that  prison  infamous,  until  late  in  June, 
long  after  the  war  had  actually  ceased  and  the  Con- 
federate armies  had  been  disbanded. 

Upon  his  release,  as  soon  as  he  could  procure  the 
necessary  funds  for  traveling  expenses  and  decent 
clothing,  by  the  sale  of  his  watch  and  the  aid  of 
friends  in  Philadelphia,  he  returned  to  his  family,  at 
their  refugee  home,  near  Timmonsville,  S.  C.  Here  I 
visited  him  soon  after  his  arrival,  heard  from  his  own 
lips  the  story  of  his  capture  and  prolonged  imprison- 
ment, sympathized  with  him  in  his  keen  disappoint- 


134  The  Life  Work  of 

ment  at  the  sad  and  unexpected  result  of  the  contest 
for  States'  rights  and  Southern  independence,  and 
shared  his  righteous  indignation  at  the  manner  in 
which  the  Federal  authorities  had  dealt  with  those 
who  had  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  fall  into  their  cruel 
and  vengeful  hands. 

Mr.  Girardeau  was  now  nearly  forty  years  of  age, 
in  the  prime  of  a  mature  and  vigorous  manhood,  and 
through  his  splendid  work  among  the  negroes  in  Char- 
leston and  among  the  soldiers  in  the  army,  stood  at  the 
height  of  his  reputation  as  a  preacher.  Accordingly, 
he  was  in  constant  demand  for  pulpit  services.  Of 
course,  in  the  unsettled  condition  of  things  and  the 
interruption  of  railroad  travel  just  succeeding  the  war, 
he  could  not  go  far;  but  pastors  nearby  were  fre- 
quently calling  upon  him  to  preach.  I  myself  was 
among  them,  and  at  Florence,  Hartsville  and  Dar- 
lington I  heard  many  noble  and  delightful  sermons 
from  him  in  those  dark  and  trying  days. 

But  what  about  regular  work  in  the  future?  His 
mind  naturally  turned  to  his  beloved  Zion  Church  in 
Charleston,  and  his  heart  yearned  to  be  with  that  dear 
flock  again.  But  it  had  been  scattered  to  the  four 
Avinds  through  the  exigencies  of  the  war.  Hostilities 
began  at  Charleston  in  1861;  and  the  city  had  con- 
stantly been  threatened  with  attack  ever  afterwards 
and  was  frequently  shelled  by  the  enemy's  batteries 
on  Morris  Island.  Consequently,  the  white  population, 
as  far  as  practicable,  abandoned  the  city  early  in  the 
dread  conflict  and  removed  their  slaves  also  to  places 
of  greater  security.  And  at  this  date  the  white  citi- 
zens were  only  beginning  to  return,  and  the  negroes, 
now  emancipated,  were  scattered  all  over  the  country. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  135 

Thus  Mr.  Girardeau  could  hardly  expect  for  the  pres- 
ent to  resume  work  with  his  own  former  charge. 

But  about  this  time,  September,  1865,  he  began  to 
receive  overtures  from  the  Presbyterian  young  men  in 
Charleston,  many  of  whom  had  returned  to  the  smitten 
old  city  and  taken  up  the  struggle  to  recuperate  their 
lost  fortunes  and  do  the  work  of  life,  to  come  down 
and  preach  for  them.  And  as  none  of  the  Presbyterian 
pastors  had  yet  gotten  back  to  their  homes,  this  seemed 
a  reasonable  projDOsition,  and,  at  the  same  time,  offered 
him  a  favorable  opportunity  for  regular  work  in  the 
ministry,  and  for  the  support  of  his  family,  which, 
under  the  proposed  arrangement,  was  to  come  entirely 
from  the  weekly  Sabbath  offerings  of  the  congrega- 
tion. 

After  due  consideration  Mr.  Girardeau  accepted  this 
proposition,  and  early  in  September  returned  to  the 
old  city,  which  held  a  very  warm  place  in  his  loving 
heart,  and  once  more  resumed  his  ministerial  labors 
there,  occupying  the  pulpit  of  the  stately  and  com- 
modious old  Second  Church  building. 

At  this  time  there  were  five  Presbyterian  Churches 
in  Charleston:  the  First  or  Scotch  Church,  situated 
down  town  on  the  corner  of  Meeting  and  Tradd 
Streets  and  served  as  pastor  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  John 
Forrest,  but  holding  an  independent  relation,  not  being 
as  yet  connected  with  Charleston  Presbytery;  the 
Second  Church,  situated  higher  up  on  Meeting  Street, 
facing  Wragg  Square  and  the  Citadel,  whose  pastor 
was  the  eloquent  and  devoted  Dr.  Thomas  Smyth ;  the 
Central  Church  (now  Westminster),  whose  beautiful 
and  classic  building  stood  also  on  Meeting  near  Society 
Street,  between  the  two  already  named,  whose  pastor 
was  the  Rev.  W.  C.  Dana;  Glebe  Street  Church,  at 


136  The  Life  Work  of 

this  time  without  a  pastor;  and  Zion  Church,  whose 
immense  building  had  been  erected  by  white  Presby- 
terians for  the  use  of  the  large  congregation  of  colored 
people,  whom,  together  with  a  small  white  element,  Mr. 
Girardeau  had  been  serving  as  pastor.  The  members  of 
these  several  congregations,  as  far  as  they  had  yet 
returned  to  the  city,  united  in  worshipping  under  Mr. 
Girardeau's  ministry,  in  the  Second  Church  building. 
But  soon  the  question  came  up  as  to  permanent 
arrangements  for  the  future  when  all  the  people  of  the 
city  should  have  returned  to  their  homes.  Mr.  Girar- 
deau was  absolutely  shut  out  of  his  own  church  build- 
ing, which  had  been  taken  possession  of  by  a  mission- 
ary of  the  Northern  Presbyterian  Church  and  held 
by  the  Freedman's  Bureau,  under  the  authority  of  the 
United  States  Government,  and  its  occupancy  posi- 
tively denied  to  its  legal  owners  and  regularly  installed 
pastor.  And  the  old  arrangement  of  a  small  white 
element  owning  and  controlling  the  church  and  meet- 
ing in  worship  with  the  negroes,  seemed  neither  desir- 
able nor  practicable  under  the  new  conditions  resulting 
from  the  war.  Consequently,  propositions  came  from 
both  the  Second  and  Glebe  Street  Churches  to  the 
white  element  and  the  popular  pastor  of  Zion  Church 
to  come  over  and  unite.  Dr.  Smyth,  who  had  long 
since  been  crippled,  though  not  disabled,  by  paralysis, 
tendering  his  resignation  as  pastor  of  the  Second 
Church,  so  as  to  open  the  way  for  the  proposed  union 
with  that  church.  But  Mr.  Girardeau  was  unwilling 
to  adopt  a  measure  which  might  appear  to  push  the 
venerable,  beloved  and  devoted  pastor  of  the  Second 
Church  out  of  his  long  and  eminently  useful  pastorate. 
He,  therefore,  with  his  white  congregation  of  Zion 
Church,  accepted  the  proposition  of  the  Glebe  Street 


John  L.  Gikardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  137 

Church,  and,  accordingly,  this  church,  in  April,  1866, 
by  order  of  the  Presbytery,  was  consolidated  with  the 
Zion  Church,  retaining  the  officers  of  both  congrega- 
tions in  the  united  church,  including  the  pastor,  and 
holding  the  name  of  Zion  Church,  the  regular  wor- 
ship being  conducted  in  the  building  on  Glebe  Street. 
And  thus  Mr.  Girardeau  entered  upon  his  memorable 
pastorate  in  Charleston  after  the  war. 

At  this  point  in  my  narrative  I  pause  to  give  my 
impressions  of  Mr.  Girardeau  as  a  preacher.  He  was 
a  man  of  superb  physique,  tall  (about  five  feet  ten  or 
eleven  inches),  rather  slender  at  this  time,  though  he 
grew  stouter  as  age  advanced;  muscular,  agile  and 
with  fine  use  of  his  body  in  every  way.  And  in  the 
pulpit  his  action  was  energetic,  graceful  and  exceed- 
ingly impressive — a  gesture  often  thrilling  the  hearer. 
His  voice  was  keen  and  penetrating,  but,  at  the  same 
time,  smooth  and  musical.  His  mind  was  quick  and 
logical,  with  well  trained  faculties  and  strongly  dis- 
posed to  reading  and  study.  His  taste  was  poetic — he 
often  composed  beautiful  hymns — his  imagination 
vivid,  and  his  descriptive  powers  wonderful.  His 
temperament  was  ardent  and  his  emotions  strong.  His 
demeanor  in  the  pulpit  was  dignified,  grave  and 
earnest,  indicating  that  he  fully  realized  his  responsi- 
bility as  an  ambassador  of  Christ  and  a  minister  to 
dying  men.  I  can  never  forget  the  solemn  countenance 
he  carried  into  the  pulpit  and  the  earnestness  with 
which  he  read  the  hymns  and  conducted  the  services. 
And  he  threw  his  whole  self,  body,  mind  and  spirit, 
into  his  preaching,  speaking  with  a  fervor  such  as  I 
have  rarely  seen  equalled  in  the  pulpit,  and  which 
deeply  impressed  his  hearers  with  his  zeal  for  God 
and  for  their  souls. 


4 


138  The  Life  Work  of 

He  was,  too,  most  faithful  in  preaching  Divine 
truth.  He  received  the  Bible  with  unwavering  faith 
and  ardent  devotion  as  the  A^ery  word  of  God,  and  he 
never  turned  aside  from  it  to  preach  science  or  phil- 
osophy or  any  other  doctrines  of  men.  He  was  very 
plain  in  preaching,  not  blinking  to  discuss  sin,  judg- 
ment and  hell,  declaring,  as  Paul  did  to  the  Ephesians, 
the  whole  counsel  of  God  and  keeping  back  nothing 
that  was  profitable  to  his  people.  At  the  same  time, 
he  was  thoroughly  evangelical,  glorying  in  the  doc- 
trines of  grace,  and  constantly  appealing  with  pas- 
sionate fervor  unto  sinners  to  believe  and  be  saved. 

Mr.  Girardeau  had  a  remarkable  use  of  the  best 
English  and  great  fluency  of  speech.  He  wrote  ele- 
gantly and  beautifully,  and  sometimes  on  special  occa- 
sions used  a  manuscript  in  the  pulpit ;  but  very  rarely, 
and  greatly  to  the  disadvantage  of  his  preaching.  He 
was  a  splendid  orator,  and  was  at  his  best  when, 
unhampered  by  paper,  he  spoke  extempore  and  freely, 
out  of  the  abundance  of  his  mind  and  heart.  He  was 
also  very  happy  and  forcible  in  the  use  of  illustrations, 
which  he  introduced  with  a  keen  appreciation  and 
relish,  but  never  employed  to  redundancy. 

Mr.  Girardeau  seemed  to  be  fond  of  preaching  in 
series,  and  often  used  that  method  in  his  pulpit  minis- 
trations. I  recall  one  series  of  five  sermons,  all  of  which 
I  heard  with  great  interest  and  pleasure,  when  he  was 
preaching  to  his  negro  congregation  on  Anson  Street. 
They  were  all  founded  upon  a  single  short  text,  John 
5:40 — "And  ye  will  not  come  to  Me,  that  ye  might 
have  life,"  and  were  distinguished  by  the  emphasis 
placed  upon  the  several  leading  words  of  this  text — 
(1)  "And  ye  icill  not  come  to  Me";  (2)  "And  y^  Avill 
not  come  to  Me";  (3)  "And  ye  will  not  come  to  J/e"/ 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  139 

(4)  "And  ye  will  not  come  to  Me  that  ye  might  have 
life'";  and  (5)  Not  coming  to  Me  ye  cannot  have  life. 
And  also  during  his  later  ministry  in  the  Glebe  Street 
Church,  I  remember  that  he  preached  series  on 
"Prayer"  and  on  "Adoption,"  some  of  which  I  heard 
and  can  testify  that  they  were  excellent  and  noble  dis- 
courses, always  very  instructive  and  very  edifying. 

Mr.  Girardeau  clearly  stood  in  the  front  rank  of  the 
great  preachers  of  his  day.     Without  doubt  the  three 
greatest  preachers  ever  produced  by  our  Presbyterian 
Church  in  South  Carolina— than  whom  there  were  no 
others  superior— were  Drs.  James  H.  Thornwell,  Ben- 
jamin M.  Palmer  and  John  L.  Girardeau.    And  I  had 
the  rare  privilege,  in  early  life,  of  sitting,  more  or  less 
frequently,  under  the  ministrations  of  each  of  these 
three  distinguished  divines.     Dr.  Thornwell  I  regard 
as  facile  princeps— the  greatest  preacher  I  ever  heard. 
His  bodily  presence  was  not  imposing,  his  voice  was 
not  strong  or  sweet,  his  gestures  were  not  specially 
graceful ;  and  his  language  was  decidedly  scholastic— 
too  much  so  for  the  ordinary  hearer.     But  his  clear 
and  sweeping  logic,  his  profound  and  masterly  unfold- 
ing of  the  truth  out  of  a  rich  experience  of  it,  and  his 
overpowering  earnestness  in  presenting  it,  impressed 
me  as  no  other  preacher  has  ever  done.     Dr.  Palmer 
I    regard    as    the    most   magnificent    pulpit    orator    I 
have  ever  heard.    With  perfect  mastery  of  himself  in 
the   pulpit,   with   a   rich,   deep   melodious   voice   that 
appealed  at  once  to  the  ear,  with  graceful  and  appro- 
priate action  delightful  to  behold,  and  with  profound 
treatment  of  the  great  doctrines  of  religion  in  a  prac- 
tical and  experimental  way,  he  was  superb.    Dr.  Girar- 
deau, as  I  conceive,  stood  just  between  the  two.     He 
wielded  the  loffic  on  fire  of  Thornwell,  with  much  of 


140  The  Life  Work  of 

the  graceful  oratory  of  Palmer;  and  through  his  long 
training  in  preaching  to  negroes,  he  used  simple  and 
plain  language  adapted  to  the  common  people.  And 
so,  as  a  preacher  for  the  masses,  he  was  no  doubt  as 
popular  and  as  efficient  as  either  of  his  distinguished, 
admired  and  beloved  fellow  Presbyters. 

The  conditions  in  Charleston  under  which  Mr. 
Girardeau  entered  upon  his  Glebe  Street  pastorate 
were  peculiar.  Our  people  had  just  emerged  from  a 
long  and  desolating  war  in  which  the  cause  for  which 
they  had  so  loyally  and  devotedly  contended  had  been 
lost ;  multitudes  of  their  sons  had  been  sacrificed  upon 
the  altar  of  their  country,  their  property,  for  the  most 
part,  had  been  destroyed,  their  homes  in  many  cases 
had  been  broken  up,  and  their  social  and  economical 
system  had  been  uprooted.  And  Charleston  had  been 
most  deeply  affected  in  all  these  ways.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  war  a  very  destructive  and  extensive  con- 
flagration had  swept  across  the  city,  destroying  much 
property  and  consuming  many  homes.  For  years  the 
city  had  been  under  the  continual  storm  of  shot  and 
shell  from  the  enemy's  batteries,  which,  besides  the 
injury  to  houses,  public  and  private,  made  it  an 
unsafe  habitation  for  its  citizens  who  were  scattered 
as  refugees  all  over  the  country.  And  now,  as  the 
people  returned  to  the  city,  it  was  to  find  themselves 
impoverished,  thrown  out  of  business,  upset  in  their 
domestic  arrangements,  and  that  peculiar  charm  of  old 
Charleston,  its  social  life,  well-nigh  broken  up.  Besides 
these  things,  the  city  was  subject  to  the  galling  yoke  of 
military  rule,  administered  by  our  late  adversaries, 
many  of  whose  unprincipled  officers  seemed  to  delight 
in  lording  it  over  a  subjugated  and  helpless  people. 
And  this  was  followed  bv  the  horrible  and  detestable 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  141 

Reconstruction  oppression  in  South  Carolina,  which 
dragged  its  slimy  course  of  corruption  and  fraud  and 
misrule  and  degradation  of  a  high-toned  people 
throughout  the  whole  period  of  Dr.  Girardeau's  pas- 
torate of  Zion  Church,  Glebe  Street.  And  it  was 
under  the  constant  pressure  of  these  abnormal  condi- 
tions that  he  pursued  his  work. 

And  with  what  success? 

Large  congregations  of  attentive  and  interested 
hearers  filled  the  church  regularly  at  its  two  services. 
Sabbath  after  Sababth,  despite  its  unfavorable  situa- 
tion on  a  short,  narrow  side-street.  So  that  soon  it 
became  necessary  to  enlarge  the  building  in  order  to 
accommodate  the  attendants.  And  this  was  without 
any  other  attraction  than  the  eloquent,  earnest,  faith- 
ful preaching  of  the  old  Gospel,  "the  faith  which  was 
once  delivered  to  the  saints."  There  was  no  display 
of  music;  not  even  an  organ  or  a  set  choir.  Dr.  Girar- 
deau, like  Dr.  Thornwell  and  Dr.  Adger,  was  con- 
scientiously opposed  to  the  use  of  instrumental  music 
in  the  public  worship  of  God,  and  never  would  allow 
one  in  the  churches  which  he  regularly  served.  Not 
because  he  lacked  taste  for  good  music.  He  was  him- 
self a  fine  singer  and  often  led  this  part  of  the  wor- 
ship in  his  services.  But,  in  his  opinion,  the  use  of 
instruments  in  the  worship  of  God's  house  under  the 
New  Testament  dispensation  lacked  Divine  authority, 
and  he  would  therefore  rigidly  exclude  them.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  the  first  volume  which  he  ever 
issued  from  the  press  was  an  argument  against  the  use 
of  instrumental  music  in  public  worship. 

Neither  had  he  in  Glebe  Street  Church  a  trained 
choir  to  dispense  beautiful,  artistic  music  through  the 
services.     For  a  good  part  of  the  time  he  had  a  pre- 


142  The  Life  Work  of 

centor,  an  earnest,  Christian  man,  Avith  a  clear,  strong, 
well-trained  voice,  who  arose  after  the  reading  of  the 
hymn,  raised  the  tune,  and  led  the  singing  throughout, 
assisted  at  some  times  b}'  cultivated  vocalists. 

Neither  was  there  any  reading  in  concert,  or  repeat- 
ing of  creeds  and  prayers;  but  only  the  simple,  old- 
time  Presbyterian  worship,  handed  down  to  us  by  our 
fathers,  consisting  of  solemn,  earnest  prayers  led  by 
the  minister,  plain  congregational  singing,  the  impres- 
sive reading  of  the  Scripture,  and  the  zealous,  faith- 
ful exposition  and  application  of  the  Word,  followed 
by  an  offering  for  the  service  of  the  Lord.  This  was 
the  plain  bill  of  spiritual  fare  which  Dr.  Girardeau 
set  before  those  who  attended  his  ministry  in  Glebe 
Street  Church.  But  the  crowds  came  and  partook  of 
it,  and  were  nourished ;  and  they  came  again ;  and  they 
continued  to  come  throughout  his  ten  years'  ministry 
in  that  place. 

Early  in  1867,  after  much  correspondence,  and  delay 
through  provoking  obstacles  thrown  in  the  way.  Dr. 
Girardeau  and  the  owners  of  the  large  Zion  Church 
on  Calhoun  Street,  in  which  he  had  i^reviously 
preached  the  Gospel  to  thousands  of  negroes,  succeeded 
in  getting  possession  of  their  building,  and  he  felt  it 
to  be  his  duty  to  minister  again,  as  far  as  practicable, 
to  his  former  colored  flock.  From  the  records  of  the 
Session  it  appears  that  he  was  ready  even  to  surrender 
his  white  congregation  and  his  work  in  Glebe  Street, 
and  throw  himself  once  more  fully  into  the  service  of 
the  colored  people.  But  the  upshot  of  the  matter  was, 
after  earnest  and  prayerful  consideration  on  the  part 
of  pastor  and  people,  an  agreement  that  he  should 
give  up  one  preaching  service  on  the  Sabbath  in  Glebe 
Street  Church  so  that  he  might  be  able  to  serve  also 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  143 

the  colored  congregation  regularly  in  Calhoun  Street 
Church. 

This,  hoAvever,  was  only  a  temporary  arrangement. 
And  as  the  negroes  and  whites  would  not  now,  under 
the  new  conditions,  worship  together  as  formerly,  a 
little  later  on,  at  the  call  of  the  church,  he  secured 
an  assistant  in  the  relation  of  a  co-pastor,  in  order  that 
full  services  might  be  maintained  in  both  churches. 
The  Rev.  J.  B.  Mack,  then  pastor  of  Salem  (B.  R.) 
Church  in  Sumter  County,  S.  C,  was  called  to  this 
position  and  was  duly  installed  with  Dr.  Girardeau 
as  co-pastor  of  Zion  Church,  the  consolidated  organi- 
zation, which  still  included  both  the  white  and  col- 
ored congregations.  This  arrangement  was  effected 
about  the  end  of  1867,  the  formal  installation  occur- 
ring December  the  29th. 

But  the  colored  flock  had  long  been  "as  sheep  with- 
out a  shepherd";  they  had  been  sadly  scattered  and 
torn,  misled  by  ignorant  and  designing  teachers,  and 
filled  with  new  notions  as  the  result  of  emancipation 
and  the  changed  conditions  in  the  South.  Hence, 
while  a  goodly  number — even  more  than  we  might 
have  expected  under  the  circumstances — especially  of 
the  more  sober  and  thoughtful  ones  among  them,  were 
ready  to  come  back  to  their  old  church  and  remained 
loyal  to  their  former  faithful  and  devoted  pastor,  and 
sometimes  large  congregations  attended  the  services, 
yet  the  ante-bellum  congregation  could  never  be  gath- 
ered together  again. 

While  another  presents  more  fully  this  part  of  Dr. 
Girardeau's  work,  I  deem  it  proper  to  note  its  bearing 
upon  his  Glebe  Street  pastorate.     It  was  like  a  first, 
love  with  him  to  serve  these  children  of  Africa,  and 
with    all    the    burdens    and    the    attractions    and    the 


144  The  Life  AYork  of 

encouragements  of  a  large  and  influential  white  city 
congregation  to  minister  unto,  his  heart  ever  yearned 
/for  the  salvation  of  the  negro  and  his  development 
into  efficient  Christian  service.  It  is  indeed  pathetic 
to  follow  the  struggles  which  he  made  in  this  direction 
as  they  appear  in  the  records  of  the  church.  But  he 
had  finally  to  yield  to  that  ordering  of  Providence 
which  sundered  the  negroes  of  the  South  from  their 
former  white  preachers,  and  give  his  energies  as  pas- 
tor wholly  to  the  Glebe  Street  congregation. 

This  work  among  the  whites  continued  to  prosper. 
Church  statistics  were  very  defective  in  those  days, 
especially  as  to  the  aggregate  of  communicant  mem- 
bership, in  consequence  of  the  unsettled  condition  of 
our  people.  But  the  annual  reports  of  Zion  Church 
show  steady  and  considerable  accessions  on  profession 
of  faith. 

These  came  largely  from  the  Sabbath  School,  of 
which  the  pastor  kept  a  close  and  continual  oversight, 
and  which  was  conducted  fully  under  the  control  of 
the  Session.  This  was  before  the  days  of  the  wide- 
spread and  vigorous  influence  and  leadership  of  the 
International  Sunday  School  Association  and  the  gen- 
eral use,  which  came  later,  of  the  Uniform  Lesson 
System.  It  will  therefore  be  interesting,  no  doubt,  to 
know  the  method  which  Dr.  Girardeau  and  his  church 
employed  in  this  important  Sabbath  School  Avork.  I 
was  myself,  as  the  pastor  at  Spartanburg,  S.  C,  strug- 
gling with  the  same  problems;  and,  always  appreciat- 
ing his  advice,  I  wrote  to  him,  asking  a  statement  of 
his  plan.     The  following  letter  in  reply  explains  it: 

"You  ask  what  our  metliocl  of  Sabbath  school  instructiou  is. 
The  best  reply  I  can  make  is.  by  sending  you  the  book  we  use. 
I  will  mail  it  at  the  same  time  with  this  letter.     It  is  entitled, 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  145 

as  you  will  see,  'A  Key  to  the  Shorter  Catechism,  etc'  Besides 
the  excellent  arranj^jement  of  Scripture  proofs  which  it  gives,  it 
presents  in  connection  with  each  answer  a  scheme  of  analytical 
questions  which  attracted  my  attention  to  it.  This  exercise  I 
regard  as  having  great  value  on  two  accounts :  First,  because 
a  very  clear  and  definite  understanding  of  the  answer  is  secured 
by  this  means;  and  secondly,  because  the  mental  energies  of 
the  pupil  are  exercised  and  developed— an  end  which  no  sort  of 
education,  secular  or  spiritual,  can  afford  to  dispense  with.  I 
have  often  been  surprised  and  gratified  by  the  evidence  of  its 
success  in  this  respect.  The  scholars  are  kept  on  the  alert,  the 
attention  is  cultivated,  and  the  mind  is  incited  to  promptness  of 
action.  I  have  never  seen  any  results  equal  to  those  which  are 
secured  by  this  method.  I  am  delighted  with  it.  And  this  I 
say  from  constant  observation,  for  I  attend  the  Sabbath  school 
regularly  and  take  charge  of  the  main  question  and  the  analyt- 
ical exercise  when  the  school  is  brought  together  en  masse. 
Indeed,  one  of  the  capital  advantages  of  this  plan  is,  that  after 
every  class  has  separately  recited,  all  the  classes  brought 
together  into  one  great  class — the  school  itself — can  be  as  easily 
taught  as  each.  First,  I  ask  the  girls  to  recite  all  together  the 
main  answer,  then  the  boys,  then  boys  and  girls  at  the  same 
time.  The  two  sexes  thus  hear  each  other  recite  and  the 
stimulus  is  strong  to  answer  correctly.  Then  the  analytical 
questions  are  propounded  to  the  whole  school.  Then  I  either 
ask  questions  extemporaneously,  or  address  the  school  in  refer- 
ence to  the  lesson,  endeavoring  with  all  my  might  to  stamp  on 
the  scholars  the  main  thoughts,  and  practically  applying  them 
to  their  consciences  and  hearts.  Oh,  it  is  a  glorious  privilege 
and  a  grand  opportunity.  I  regard  the  exercise  as  one  of  the 
most  important  and  the  most  promising  in  the  circle  of  pastoral 
labors.  We  are  trying  to  train  the  scholars  as  Preshyterian 
Christians.  For  that  end  there  is  nothing  like  the  Shorter 
Catechism,  and  I  know  no  form  in  which  that  Catechism  can 
be  taught  superior  to  this.  All  dryness  disappears.  I  have 
never  seen  scholars  so  intensely  interested  in  any  other  mode 
of  Sabbath  school  instruction. 

"The  superintendent  hears  the  recitation,  in  mass,  of  the 
Scripture  proofs.  The  whole  school  recites  the  same  lesson, 
except  the  infant  class,  which  studies  Brown's  Short  Catechism, 


146  The  Life  Work  of 

which  I  consider  far  better  than  the  Introduction  to  the  Shorter 
Catechism. 

"Along  with  tile  key,  the  school  also  studies  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union's  'Child's  Scripture  Question  Book,'  on 
the  obvious  principle  that  the  historical  facts  of  Scripture  ought 
to  be  taught  as  well  as  its  doctrines.  We  have  also  a  good 
hymn.  We  select  about  fifty  of  the  best  hymns,  and  the  idea  is 
to  make  the  school  go  over  them  again  and  again  until  they  are 
so  fixed  in  memory  that  the  feeble  faculties  of  the  dying  may 
recall  them. 

"This  is  our  method.  Had  I  room  and  time  I  would  like  to 
assign  the  reasons  which  have  led  to  its  adoption ;  but  I  must 
defer  their  statement  until  I  can  talk  with  you  face  to  face. 
Should  you,  however,  require  them  before  you  adopt  this  plan, 
so  excellent  do  I  regard  it,  that  it  will  give  me  pleasure  to  com- 
municate them.  Would  that  our  whole  Church  would  pursue 
this  method  !  And  why  not?  Are  not  our  Catechisms  our  inter- 
pretation of  the  Bible?  And  does  not  this  plan  store  the  mem- 
ory with  the  very  words  of  Scripture  in  theological  relations? 
I  cannot  understand  why  the  Church  (as  in  the  Baptismal 
service)  should  urge  upon  parents  the  teaching  of  our  standards 
to  their  children,  and  decline  to  teach  them  herself.  The  family 
and  the  Sabbath  school  ought  to  be  complementary  to  each 
other. 

"We  are  now  working  five  Sabbath  schools,  the  school  of  my 
own  church,  three  white  mission  schools,  and  one  colored.  The 
same  method  is  pursued  in  all  of  them ;  and  there  is  but  one 
testimony  from  all — that  it  is  the  best  method  the  teachers  have 
ever  tried.  It  is  surprising  to  me  to  hear  the  colored  school 
recite.  I  have  never  witnessed  the  like  among  them.  I  am  dis- 
posed to  think  that  you  would  never  regret  making  the  experi- 
ment. The  books  can  be  got  in  any  quantity  from  the  Carters 
in  New  York. 

"But  enough!  I  shall  tire  you.  May  the  Lord  bless  you  in 
your  Sabbath  school  work !  The  spirit  of  the  age  has  substi- 
tuted it  for  the  plan  of  pastoral  instruction  of  families  at  home 
— that  is,  of  the  children  by  Catechism.  Let  us  get  aboard,  and 
take  our  turn  at  the  wheel." 

Another  development  of  his  work  which  was 
specially  encouraging  was  that  the  sons  of  Zion  were 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  147 

going  into  the  Gospel  ministry.  During  these  years 
no  less  than  three  business  men  of  the  congregation, 
two  of  them  married  and  with  families  to  support, 
heeded  the  call  of  God  to  preach,  left  their  worldly 
occupations,  and  became  faithful  and  efficient  minis- 
ters of  the  Word.  These  were  the  Rev.  Jas.  E. 
Fogartie,  D.  D.,  Rev.  George  A.  Trenholm,  D.  D., 
both  of  whom  were  generously  aided  by  the  congrega- 
tion in  their  preparation  for  the  ministry,  and  Rev. 
W.  G.  Vardell,  who  had  long  served  as  precentor  of  the 
church.  Three  others,  Rev.  J.  B.  Warren,  D.  D.,  Rev. 
C.  E.  Chichester  and  Rev.  T.  B.  Trenholm,  who  had 
been  active  and  useful  as  workers  in  Zion  Church,  but 
moved  to  other  fields,  later  on  also  entered  the  min- 
istry. All  these  brethren,  I  venture  to  say,  drew  their 
inspiration  and  encouragement  for  the  higher  work 
from  their  consecrated  and  ever  zealous  pastor. 

Under  his  wise  and  efficient  leadership,  Zion  Church 
also  engaged  largely  in  city  mission  work.  This  was 
conducted  chiefly  through  that  most  practicable  and 
efficient  means  of  reaching  the  destitute,  disseminating 
the  truth,  and  laying  the  foundation  for  new  churches, 
the  Mission  Sabbath  School.  The  regular  Sabbath 
School  of  the  church,  as  an  indispensable  agency  for 
teaching  and  training  the  children  and  youth  of  the 
congregation  and  as  many  others  as  could  be  brought 
into  it,  enlisted  the  constant  and  earnest  attention  of 
pastor,  elders  and  other  zealous  and  faithful  workers. 
But,  besides  this,  four  mission  schools,  including  that 
among  the  colored  people  at  the  Calhoun  Street 
Church,  were  organized  in  different  parts  of  the  city, 
and  conducted  under  the  direct  supervision  and  con- 
trol of  the  Session,  to  which  they  regularly  reported, 
and  which  provided  for  their  support.     One  of  these, 


148  The  Life  Work  of 

in  connection  with  which  for  a  time  a  chapel  was 
maintained  and  supplied  by  a  regular  minister,  sup- 
ported by  this  church,  grew  into  a  separate,  though 
never  self-sustaining,  church,  located  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  city. 

But  the  interest  and  efforts  of  Dr.  Girardeau  and 
the  noble  flock  Avhich  he  led  were  by  no  means  con- 
fined to  Charleston.  As  a  consequence  of  the  war,  the 
churches  of  the  Presbytery  had  been  sadly  broken  up 
and  disabled.  Outside  the  cities  of  Charleston  and 
Columbia,  in  1866  there  were  only  three  churches  in 
the  Presbytery  which  had  ministers  to  serve  them 
regularly.  These  were  Orangeburg,  served  by  the 
Rev.  A.  F.  Dickson;  Walterboro,  by  the  Rev.  Edward 
Palmer,  and  John's  Island  and  Wadmalaw,  by  the 
Rev.  John  R.  Dow,  who  shortly  afterwards  also 
removed  to  another  field.  This  distressing  condition 
of  the  country  churches  and  of  Presbyterianism  in  the 
low  country  of  South  Carolina,  deeply  moved  Dr. 
Girardeau's  heart.  And  early  in  1867  I  was  induced  by 
the  Presbytery's  committee,  through  the  urgency  of 
his  pathetic  pleas,  to  remove  to  Charleston  and  under- 
take the  work  of  evangelist  of  Charleston  Presbytery, 
laboring  under  his  constant  counsel  and  direction  as 
the  chairman  of  the  Presbytery's  Executive  Committee 
of  Domestic  Missions.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to 
express  my  appreciation  of  his  cordial  interest,  the 
helpful  advice  and  the  earnest  support  which  he  ever 
gave  to  me  in  this  work.  I  continued  for  two 
or  three  A^ears,  until  the  feeble  churches  began  to  get 
on  their  feet  again;  and  which  Dr.  Girardeau  ev^r 
afterward  contended  was  the  saving  of  our  weak 
churches  and  of  the  cause  of  Presbyterianism  in  that 
section.     And  it  is  due  to  him  to  say  that  this  work 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  149 

was  made  practicable  only  by  the  loyal  and  generous 
financial  suiDiDort  of  him  and  his  people.  The  impov- 
erished and  disorganized  little  churches  to  which  I 
ministered,  were  too  poor  to  sustain  the  evangelist  or 
do  anything  considerable  for  the  support  of  his  work ; 
but,  despite  their  limited  means  and  heavy  burdens, 
the  noble  people  of  Zion  Church  contributed  with 
wonderful  liberality,  and  the  Session  appropriated  out 
of  their  weekly  Sabbath  collections  much  the  larger 
part  of  the  uncertain  and  indefinite  salary  that  I 
received  as  evangelist.  At  the  end  of  every  month  the 
Session,  a  fine  body  of  intelligent,  earnest  men,  who 
faithfully  co-operated  with  the  pastor  in  all  his  efforts 
for  the  advancement  of  Christ's  cause,  regularly 
assigned  one-half  of  all  the  funds  taken  up  at  the 
Sunday  morning  services,  to  this  work.  And  Dr.  Girar- 
deau often  afterwards  instanced  and  justified  this 
course  as  a  wise  measure  in  meeting  an  important 
emergency  in  the  history  of  our  Church. 

Besides  this,  under  the  inspiration  of  the  pastor's 
zeal,  who  himself  served  for  several  years  as  a  faithful 
and  valuable  member  of  the  Assembly's  Executive 
Committee  of  Foreign  Missions  and  Sustentation,  the 
church  contributed  liberally  also  to  foreign  missions, 
education  and  other  causes,  always  responding  to  the 
calls  of  the  General  Assembly.  As  a  more  definite 
statement  of  the  church's  liberality  and  progress  at 
this  time,  I  quote  from  Dr.  Mack's  letter  of  resigna- 
tion as  co-pastor,  bearing  date  September  24,  1869,  the 
following:  "In  less  than  two  years  a  heavy  debt  has 
been  paid ;  the  obligations  of  a  double  work  fully  met, 
nearly  $4,000  given  to  missionary  objects  and  about 
160  persons  added  to  the  church.  We  have  indeed  been 
wonderfully  blessed ;  and  now,  with  Israel,  can  we  say. 


150  The  Life  Work  of 

'The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof  we 
are  glad.' " 

During  these  years  Dr.  Girardeau  grew  in  the 
estimation  of  the  Church  in  general,  as  well  as  in  the 
love  and  appreciation  of  his  own  people.  He  received, 
from  time  to  time,  overtures  from  other  fields  of  labor ; 
but  he  was  singularly  attached  to  his  native  State  of 
South  Carolina  and  to  his  devoted  people  in  Charles- 
ton; and  so  he  promptly  rejected  all  such  approaches. 

He  had,  however,  like  other  pastors,  his  seasons  of 
discouragement  and  depression.  And  his  throat  began 
to  give  him  some  trouble  and  anxiety,  inducing  a 
doubt  whether  he  should  continue  in  this  work.  And 
all  this  assumed  such  form  that  on  one  occasion,  in  the 
early  summer  of  1871,  he  felt  constrained,  in  the  face 
of  the  vigorous  opposition  of  the  Session  and  the  earn- 
est remonstrance  of  the  j^eople,  to  tender  his  resigna- 
tion, which  he  pressed  so  urgently  that  the  pastoral 
relation  was  actually  dissolved  by  the  Presbytery.  But 
when  he  came  to  deliver  his  farewell  discourse,  the 
demonstration  of  continued  affection  on  the  part  of 
the  people,  and  their  earnest  desire  that  he  should 
remain  as  their  pastor  had  taken  such  shape  that  he 
decided  at  once  not  to  leave  them;  and  the  congrega- 
tion proceeded  to  call  him  again,  and  the  Presbytery, 
after  a  season  of  rest  on  his  part,  reinstated  him  pas- 
tor without  his  having  separated  from  his  cherished 
and  devoted  flock. 

The  record  of  this  remarkable  and  unique  episode 
in  Dr.  Girardeau's  pastoral  experience  is  so  interesting, 
and  so  beautifulh^  portrays  the  feelings  which  pre- 
vailed on  the  part  of  both  pastor  and  people,  that  I 
here  insert  the  letter  which  he  addressed  to  the  con- 
gregation and  submitted  through  the  Session — after 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  151 

they  had  first  pleaded  with  him  to  withdraw  it  and 
offered  him  an  indefinite  vacation — to  the  congrega- 
tion, and  the  paper  which  they  adopted  in  reply : 

"Charleston,  June  5,  1871. 
"To  the  Congregation  of  Zion  Presbyterian  Church. 

"Beloved  Brethren  and  Friends:  With  the  profoundest 
respect,  affection  and  regret,  I  hereby  tender  to  you  my  resig- 
nation of  my  pastoral  charge,  and  ask  you  to  unite  with  me  in 
requesting  the  Presbytery  to  dissolve  the  relation  existing 
between  us. 

"The  reasons  which  have  governed  me  in  talking  this  painful 
step  are  the  following : 

"First,  the  condition  of  my  voice  and  chest  appears  to  me  to 
necessitate  a  change;  and,  secondly,  I  am  convinced  that  a 
longer  continuance  of  my  pastoral  relation  would  not  tend  to 
promote  the  growth  of  the  congregation. 

"I  will  not  multiply  words  which  are  so  easy  of  employment 
on  an  occasion  like  this.  If  my  past  course  has  not  persuaded, 
you  of  my  affection  for  you,  no  phrases  which  might  now  be 
used  would  produce  that  impression.  This,  however,  will  I  say, 
that  it  has  cost  me  many  a  tear  and  many  a  pang  to  come  to 
this  decision ;  and  with  such  tears  as  one  sheds  at  finally  sepa- 
rating from  near  kindred,  do  I  pen  these  lines,  which  looks  to 
the  severance  of  a  union  which  has  been  and  is  so  dear  to  my 
heart.    Only  a  sense  of  duty  impels  me  to  write  them. 

"I  can  scarcely  bear  the  thought  of  parting  with  you— no 
more  to  preach  to  you  the  precious  gospel  of  Christ,  no  more  to 
mingle  my  prayers  and  praises  with  yours  on  earth,  no  more  to 
minister  to  you  in  times  of  affliction  and  distress.  There  is  not 
one  of  you  whom  I  am  not  conscious  of  tenderly  loving  in  Christ 
Jesus,  and  I  would  fain  believe,  not  one  of  you  who  does  not  feel 
affectionately  towards  me. 

"For  Jesus'  sake,  dear  friends,  forgive  me  all  my  deficiencies 
in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  and  in  the  performance  of 
pastoral  duty  among  you.  If  you  forgive  them  not,  as  I  hope 
my  compassionate  Master  has,  my  separation  from  you  would 
indeed  be  a  cause  to  me  of  inconsolate  grief. 

"Accept  my  heartfelt  thanks  for  the  tenderness  with  which 
you  have  borne  with  all  my  defects,  for  the  loving  concessions 


152  The  Life  Work  of 

which  you  have  made  to  some  of  the  views  which  I  have  advo- 
cated, and  with  which,  perhaps  not  all  of  you  were  able  to  con- 
cur, and  for  the  great  kindness  which  you  have  ever  evinced 
for  me  and  mine.  May  the  Lord  requite  you  according  to  His 
riches  in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus. 

"I  have  no  complaint  to  make  of  you — no  fault  to  iind  with 
you.  On  the  contrary,  your  cordial  attachment  to  a  simple  and 
unadulterated  gospel,  your  Berean  disposition  to  abide  by  the 
Word  of  God  as  your  only  standard  of  judgment,  your  mis- 
sionary zeal  and  noble  spirit  of  liberality,  have  won  for  you  the 
deepest  admiration  of  my  heart.  It  will  be  for  a  praise  and  an 
honor  to  me  that  I  have  served  such  a  people. 

"I  do  not  ask  a  dissolution  of  the  relation  between  us  because 
I  have  preferred  another  field  of  labor.  I  could  not  gain  my 
own  consent  to  leave  you  so  long  as  I  feared  that  a  change 
might  prove  detrimental  to  your  interests.  But  I  trust  that  the 
church  has  now  arrived  at  that  stage  at  which  a  change  will 
not  only  not  injure,  but  promote  its  prosperity. 

"It  will  cost  me  a  bitter  pang  not  only  to  part  with  you,  but 
to  leave  Charleston.  Her  very  dust  is  dear  to  me.  And  I  pray 
God  that  if  it  is  His  blessed  will,  I  may  not  be  sent  out  of 
South  Carolina,  but  be  permitted  to  suffer  with  her  in  her 
present  trials,  and  to  contribute  what  labor  I  am  capable  of  for 
the  interests  of  her  beloved  and  afflicted  people.  But,  wherever 
1  may  go,  I  shall  to  life's  latest  day  bear  with  me  the  affec- 
tionate remembrance  of  your  loving  kindness,  and  dedicate  to 
you  a  chief  place  in  the  profoundest  affection  of  my  soul. 

"Returning  to  your  hands  the  pastoral  trust  which,  by  your 
suffrages,  you  reposed  in  me,  I  am,  dear  brethren  and  friends, 
"Your  Servant  in  the  Glorious  Gospel  of  Christ, 

"John  L.  Girardeau." 

This  letter  was  duly  submitted  to  the  congregation 
at  a  meeting  called  by  the  Session,  and  a  committee  of 
five  to  whom  it  was  referred,  after  earnest  and  careful 
consideration,  presented  the  following  in  reply,  which 
was  adopted  hj  a  well-nigh  unanimous  vote : 

"The  committee  to  which  the  letter  of  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Girar- 
deau, D.  D.,  resigning  the  pastoral  charge  of  this  church  and 
congregation  and  asking  us  to  unite  with  him  *in  requesting  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  153 

Presbytery  to  dissolve  the  relation  existing  between  us'  was 
referred,  would  respectfully  submit  the  following  report  and 
resolutions : 

"It  is  impossible  for  your  committee  to  describe  the  abso- 
lutely stunning  effect  produced  by  this  letter  upon  the  congre- 
gation. Some  received  it  with  unutterable  amazement,  some 
with  mute  astonishment,  others  with  tears  and  sobs — the  out- 
ward evidence  of  deep  anguish  of  soul — and  all,  with  one 
accord,  with  the  exclamation,  'No,  no — tJiis  cannot  be;  we  can- 
not, must  not  let  our  beloved  pastor  go:  This  intense  feeling 
is  not  confined  to  this  congregation  alone.  The  announcement 
of  the  resignation  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Girardeau  has  sent  a  thrill 
through  this  community  and  the  entire  church,  and  with 
united  voice  they  all  cry,  'You  must  not  let  him  goF 

"But  however  deeply  our  feelings  may  be  moved,  let  us 
calmly  consider  the  reasons  assigned  by  our  dear  pastor  for 
this  step.  We  quote  his  own  language:  'The  reasons  which 
govern  me  in  taking  this  painful  step  are  the  following:  First, 
the  condition  of  my  voice  appears  to  me  to  necessitate  a  change; 
and  secondly,  I  am  convinced  that  a  longer  continuance  of  my 
pastoral  relation  would  not  tend  to  promote  the  growth  of  the 
congregation.' 

"The  first  reason  assigned  is  easily  disposed  of.  It  has  been 
a  source  of  painful  anxiety  to  us  for  some  time  that  our  pastor 
was  laboring  beyond  the  limits  assigned  for  the  safe  exercise 
of  the  mental  and  physical  powers  of  any  man;  and  we  look 
forward  to  the  period  of  repairs  to  our  church  edifice  as  an 
opportune  occasion  to  grant  him,  not  only  the  usual  summer 
vacation,  but  a  more  protracted  leave  of  absence,  in  the  confi- 
dent hope  that  he  would  return  to  us  fully  restored.  But  we 
are  willing  and  ready  to  do  more,  and  say  to  him  cheerfully 
and  in  the  most  sincere  frankness,  'Go  and  take  a  leave  of 
absence  for  six,  twelve,  eighteen  months,  or  longer  if  necessary, 
for  the  restoration  of  his  physical  powers ;  we  grant  it  freely.' 
The  second  reason  assigned  is  in  these  words :  'I  am  convinced 
that  a  longer  continuance  of  my  pastoral  relation  would  not 
tend  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  congregation.' 

"We  approach  the  consideration  of  this  reason  with  mingled 
feelings  of  unfeigned  surprise  and  the  most  profound  emotions. 
What  has  been  the  history  of  this  church  since  the  close  of  the 


154  The  Life  Work  of 

war?  When  Dr.  Girardeau  took  charge,  it  was  constituted  of 
a  few  fragments  of  two  congregations,  almost  strangers  to  each 
other,  and  so  limited  in  pecuniary  resources  that  they  were 
barely  able  to  place  the  church  edifice  in  habitable  order,  not 
even  removing  the  unsightly  effects  of  the  rude  hand  of  war. 
We  have  now  but  to  look  around  to  see  the  evidences  of  shot 
and  shell  upon  its  defaced  walls.  As  an  evidence  of  its  steady 
and  regular  advance  from  that  period,  in  its  full  organization 
and  equipment,  as  a  living  and  working  church,  we  appeal  to 
the  words  of  our  teacher  and  pastor.  The  devotion  of  this 
little  band  to  the  principles  of  the  pure  gospel,  which  he  has  so 
eloquently,  earnestly  and  unceasingly  preached  to  us,  is  but 
described  in  his  own  words.  He  remarked  in  his  letter,  which 
has  just  been  read  to  you :  'I  have  no  complaint  to  make  of  you 
— no  fault  to  find  with  you.  On  the  contrary,  your  cordial 
attachment  to  a  simple  and  unadulterated  gospel,  your  Berean 
disposition  to  abide  by  the  Word  of  God  as  your  only  standard 
of  judgment,  your  missionary  zeal  and  noble  spirit  of  liberality, 
have  won  for  you  the  deepest  admiration  of  my  heart.  It  will 
be  for  a  praise  and  an  honor  to  me  that  I  have  served  such  a 
people.' 

"Under  his  ministry  the  church  has  steadily  increased  in 
numbers,  and  the  congregation  almost  outgrown  the  capacity  of 
the  building.  It  is  unnecessary  to  go  into  a  detailed  statement 
of  the  various  enterprises  for  the  spread  and  building  up  of  the 
Master's  Kingdom,  which  have  been  inaugurated  and  sustained, 
under  Providence,  by  his  influence.  Look  at  the  evangelistic 
field  in  the  bounds  of  our  own  Presbytery.  A  few  evenings 
since,  our  beloved  pastor  stated  that  this  congregation  had  con- 
tributed to  that  work  more  than  all  the  congregations  in  the 
Presbytery  put  together ;  besides  liberal  donations  to  all  the 
other  benevolent  operations  of  the  Church  at  large.  Look  at 
the  work  among  the  colored  population  in  the  Calhoun  Street 
Church,  which  has  been  almost  exclusively  sustained  by  con- 
tributions from  the  members  of  this  congregation.  Look  at  the 
Mission  Chapel  in  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  city,  and 
the  flourishing  Sunday  school  gathered  there.  Look  at  the 
noble  efforts  of  the  ladies  of  the  congregation  to  educate  and 
equip  young  men  for  the  ministry.  In  a  word — since  Dr.  Girar- 
deau took  charge  of  this  flock,  up  to  the  termination  of  the  last 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  155 

fiscal  year,  this  congregation  tias  contributed  over  $60,000  for 
the  maintenance  of  a  preached  gospel,  and  the  various  benevo- 
lent and  charitable  enterprises  of  the  Southern  Church. 

"These  are  the  fruits  of  the  labor  and  zeal  under  Providence 
of  our  beloved  pastor.  And  above  all,  how  many  souls  in  this 
church,  and  throughout  the  region  where  his  influence  has  been 
felt,  call  him  their  spiritual  father,  and  point  to  his  preaching, 
under  the  providence  of  God,  as  the  instrument  of  turning  them 
from  the  broad  road  that  leads  to  destruction,  to  that  straight 
and  narrow  way  which  conducts  to  the  communion  of  Christ 
ascended  on  high,  and  the  eternal  glory  of  the  Father?  We  can 
fully  appreciate  his  feelings  when  he  declares :  'It  will  cost  me 
a  bitter  pang,  not  only  to  part  with  you,  but  to  leave  Charles- 
ton.' In  view  of  these  facts,  not  to  speak  of  the  good  which  he 
has  accomplished  by  those  silent  influences  upon  the  young 
throughout  the  wide  circle  of  his  acquaintance  and  among  the 
numerous  strangers  who  seek  to  listen  to  the  simple  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  so  forcibly  and  eloquently  expounded  by  him,  we 
most  solemnly  and  affectionately  ask  the  question,  'How  could 
he  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  "the  longer  continuance  of 
his  pastoral  relation  would  not  tend  to  the  growth  of  this  con- 
gregation"?' We  feel  assured  that,  with  restored  health  and  a 
judicious  curtailment  of  labor,  his  usefulness,  in  this  congrega- 
tion and  the  community  at  large,  is  not  at  an  end.  In  this  we 
are  upheld  by  an  abiding  faith,  and  are  willing  to  wait  in  the 
confident  expectation  that,  as  God  has  given  us  the  former  rain 
of  the  Spirit,  He  will  also  give  us  the  latter  rain  in  a  Pente- 
costal shower,  which  will  develop  a  rich  harvest  to  the  glory 
of  that  blessed  Redeemer  who  poured  out  His  precious  blood  to 
save  sinners  from  eternal  death. 

"We  judge  of  the  future  by  the  past.  The  sun  which  shines 
today,  bright,  beautiful  and  glorious,  will  rise  again  tomorrow ; 
but  it  may  be  that  his  rays  will  be  intercepted  by  the  clouds 
that  surround  our  earth.  This  will  be  only  for  a  season ;  when 
these  clouds  are  dispersed  the  bright  orb  will  again  shine  forth 
in  all  his  splendor  and  majesty.  So  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  He 
may  withhold  His  power  for  a  season ;  but,  true  to  the  promises 
of  the  Divine  Master,  He  will  pour  out  His  resistless  influences 
to  the  salvation  of  sinners  and  the  glory  of  God. 


156  The  Life  Work  of 

"The  committee  would  submit  the  following  resolutions  for 
the  consideration  of  the  congregation,  and  resx^ectfully  recom- 
mend their  adoption : 

''Resolved,  First,  That  we  have  received  the  letter  of  resigna- 
tion of  our  beloved  pastor,  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  with 
unfeigned  surprise  and  profound  sorrow,  and  cannot  bring  our- 
selves to  believe  that  Providence  designs  to  take  him  from  us. 

''Resolved,  Second,  That  we  as  a  Church  and  congregation 
fully  and  affectionately  reciprocate  the  kind  feelings  of  confi- 
dence and  regard  so  touchingly  expressed  in  his  letter,  and 
deeply  sympathise  with  him  in  this  the  hour  of  his  affliction 
and  trial,  and  pray  that  God  in  His  wisdom  and  mercy  may 
restore  him  to  health,  and  point  out  to  him  clearly  the  path  of 
duty  and  usefulness. 

"Resolved,  Third,  That  we  cordially  tender  to  him  a  leave  of 
absence  from  pastoral  labor  for  such  a  length  of  time  as  may  be 
necessary  for  the  restoration  of  his  health.  We  cannot,  how- 
ever, obtain  our  consent  voluntarily  to  unite  with  him  'in 
requesting  the  i:'resbytery  to  dissolve  the  relation  existing 
between  us' ;  but  as  we  claim  to  be  true  Presbyterians — willing 
to  abide  by  the  Constitution  and  Standards  of  our  Church — we 
will  consent  that  the  subject  be  placed  before  Presbytery,  and 
if  that  body  accedes  to  the  request  of  our  pastor,  we  shall  be 
constrained  to  submit  to  the  decision,  however  painful  it 
may  be. 

"Respectfully  submitted, 

"F.  M.  Robertson,  Chairman." 

After  this  very  imiisiial  episode  which  so  severely 
tested  and  strikingly  brought  out  the  relations  exist- 
ing between  pastor  and  people,  Dr.  Girardeau,  con- 
senting to  the  re-establishment  of  the  pastoral  relation, 
took  a  much  needed  rest,  while  the  church  building 
was  undergoing  repairs  and  his  people  were  scattered 
on  account  of  the  prevalence  of  yellow  fever  in 
Charleston.  But  in  the  autumn  he  resumed  his  regu- 
lar ministrations  in  Zion  Church,  took  up  again  the 
important  mission  work  which  had  before  been  inaug- 
urated, and  continued  to  prosecute  his  pastoral  duties 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  157 

with  his  accustomed  zeal  and  efficiency.  It  has  been 
very  interesting  to  note,  in  searching  the  records  of 
this  church,  how  wide  and  thorough  was  the  work 
done  by  this  noble  congregation  under  the  faithful 
leadership  of  this  able  pastor.  The  preaching  ser- 
vices were  faithfully  conducted  and  well  attended.  The 
Sabbath  School  was  carefully  looked  after  in  its  organ- 
ization and  its  instruction.  The  women  were  organ- 
ized into  societies  which  did  efficient  service.  The 
missions  were  maintained  and  diligently  worked. 
Infants  in  large  numbers  were  baptized,  and  discipline 
was  not  neglected.  And  the  blessing  of  the  Lord 
seemed  to  rest  continually  upon  the  work. 

But  at  the  General  Assembly  of  1875  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  the  Columbia  Theological  Seminary  being  then 
under  the  control  of  the  Assembly,  which  elected  the 
Directors  and  the  Professors,  Dr.  Girardeau  was 
unanimously  chosen,  against  his  earnest  protest,  to  the 
chair  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  in  that  insti- 
tution, just  vacated  by  the  venerable  Dr.  William  S. 
Plumer,  who  had  been  transferred  to  the  chair  of  Pas- 
toral, Casuistic  and  Historic  Theology.  Dr.  Girar- 
deau, however,  in  his  humble  estimate  of  himself, 
seriously  discounted  his  qualifications  for  the  high  and 
responsible  position,  and  promptly  declined  it.  At 
the  next  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  J.  O.  Lindsay,  on  behalf  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Seminary,  requested  the  Synod  to 
unite  with  the  Board  in  urging  Dr.  Girardeau  to  with- 
draw his  declination  and  accept  the  place,  which  the 
Synod  did  by  a  hearty,  rising  vote.  But  Dr.  Girar- 
deau still  persisted  in  declining.  I  well  remember  a 
private  interview  Avhich  Dr.  J.  L.  Martin,  then  pastor 
of    the    Abbeville    Church,    and    I    had    with    him, 


158  The  Life  AVork  of 

in  which  we  zealously  pleaded  with  him  to  yield  to 
the  judgment  of  his  brethren,  so  clearly,  strongly  and 
repeatedly  expressed,  and  accept.  Dr.  Girardeau 
while  held  a  prisoner  on  Johnson's  Island  so  long, 
had  taught  a  class  of  ministers  and  theological  stu- 
dents with  such  marked  ability  and  success  that  the 
report  of  this  work  had  gone  abroad  throughout  the 
Church,  and  the  conviction  that  he  had,  in  an  eminent 
degree,  the  qualifications  of  mind  and  heart  and  per- 
son and  culture  to  fill  this  chair  and  take  up  the  work 
laid  down  by  the  illustrious  Dr.  Thornwell  at  his  pre- 
mature decease.  Besides,  his  continuance  in  the  pulpit, 
with  the  excessive  demands  upon  his  voice  seemed  pre- 
carious. And  the  Seminary,  through  a  recent  dis- 
turbance, had  lost  two  of  its  distinguished  professors, 
Drs.  John  B.  Adger  and  Jos.  R.  Wilson,  so  that  its  con- 
dition was  such  as  to  cause  its  friends  serious  anxiety. 
Thus  all  eyes  seemed  to  turn  to  Dr.  Girardeau,  and 
many  hearts  were  set  upon  him  as  the  man,  put  by 
Divine  Providence  in  the  hands  of  the  Church,  to  take 
up  the  leading  professorship  in  the  institution  and 
lift  it  out  of  its  depressed  condition.  Hence  the  pres- 
sure which  we  brought  to  bear  upon  him.  But  while 
he  would  not  give  us  an  affirmative  answer  at  York- 
ville,  where  the  Synod  was  convened,  a  few  weeks' 
later  he  wrote  to  me  as  Stated  Clerk  of  the  S^mod.  sig- 
nifying his  accession  to  the  expressed  wishes  of  his 
brethren  and  his  acceptance  of  the  professorship,  pro- 
vided the  Board  of  Directors,  after  considering  a  state- 
ment of  his  views  on  certain  questions  which  had 
arisen  in  the  late  disturbance  in  the  Seminary,  still 
urged  his  going.  The  statement  referred  to,  which  it 
is  not  necessary  here  to  record,  was  duly  laid  before 
the  Board,  and  with  hearty  unanimity  they  continued 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  159 

to  urge  his  acceptance.  Accordingly,  he  again  ten- 
dered his  resignation  as  pastor  of  Zion  Church,  which 
this  time,  in  view  of  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the 
situation,  reluctantly  yielded  to  his  request,  and  the 
Presbytery  finally  dissolved  the  pastoral  relation. 

In  order  to  show  that  there  was  no  cause  in  the 
church  itself  for  the  sundering  of  this  relation,  that 
the  work  was  still  progressing  prosperously,  and  that 
the  same  old  feeling  of  affectionate  devotion  prevailed 
to  the  end  between  pastor  and  people,  I  here  once 
more  copy  Dr.  Girardeau's  letter  requesting  that  the 
church  concur  in  his  release,  and  the  reply  of  the  Ses- 
sion, which  was  endorsed  by  a  meeting  of  the  congre- 
gation. Both  are  worthy  of  careful  consideration  and 
hearty  admiration: 

"Charleston,  December  20tb,  1875. 
"To  the  Congregation  of  Zion  Presbyterian  Church. 

Beloved  Brethren  and  Friends :  It  is  known  to  you  that  the 
General  Assembly  of  our  Church,  which  sat  last  May  in  the 
City  of  St.  Louis,  elected  me  Professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic 
Theology  in  the  Seminary  at  Columbia.  The  call  was  one  which 
I  found  it  difficult  to  resist,  but  I  deemed  it  my  duty  to  decline 
compliance  with  it.  The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Seminary, 
at  their  stated  meeting  in  the  fall,  requested  me  to  withdraw 
the  letter  to  the  Assembly  in  which  I  declined  the  professorship, 
and  to  accept  the  position.  With  that  request,  also,  I  thought 
it  my  duty  to  decline  compliance.  Subsequently  the  Synod  of 
South  Carolina  urged  me  to  reconsider  the  question  and  accept 
the  position  to  which  I  had  been  called  by  the  Assembly.  In 
that  action  the  Synod  of  Georgia  concurred.  This  persistent 
pressure  of  the  question  upon  me  by  the  courts  of  the  Church, 
impressed  me,  and  I  was  led  to  the  conclusion  that  if  I  could 
consistently  with  the  course  I  have  pursued  with  reference  to 
some  events  which  had  occurred  in  connection  with  the  Semi- 
nary, obey  the  voice  of  the  Church,  I  ought  to  do  so.  Accord- 
ingly I  addressed  a  communication  to  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Theological  Seminary,  containing  a  frank  exposition  of  my 


160  The  Life  Work  of 

views,  accompanied  by  the  remark  that  if,  with  the  statement 
before  them,  the  board  should  deem  it  inexpedient  that  I  should 
go  to  the  Seminary,  the  matter  would  be  dropped ;  but  if,  on 
the  other  hand,  they  should  judge  that  it  was  expedient  for  me 
to  go,  I  would  withdraw  my  letter  of  declination.  The  action 
of  the  board  at  its  late  meeting  was  unanimous  and  hearty  in 
favor  of  my  going  to  the  Seminary,  and  I  accordingly  stand 
pledged  to  take  such  steps  as  contemplate  a  dissolution  of  my 
pastoral  relation  and  my  entrance  upon  the  duties  of  the  pro- 
fessorship. I,  therefore,  respectfully  request  that  you  will  unite 
with  me  in  asking  Charleston  Presbytery  to  dissolve  the  pas- 
toral relation  now  subsisting  between  us. 

"A  little  more  than  four  years  ago  I  deemed  it  my  duty  to 
make  a  similar  request,  but  it  pleased  Providence  to  order  that 
I  should  not  then  depart  from  you.  I  would  now,  with  new 
emphasis,  express  the  feelings  to  which  I  gave  utterance  on 
that  occasion.  Your  affectionate  and  generous  conduct  towards 
me  has  increased  my  obligations  to  you,  and  bound  my  heart  to 
you  more  closely  than  ever.  I  am  profoundly  grateful  to  you 
for  all  your  kindness ;  I  love  you  tenderly  and  deeply ;  and  only 
a  conviction  of  duty  impels  me  to  take  this  painful  step.  We 
are  poor,  blind  creatures — liable  to  err.  But  I  have  sincerely 
prayed  for  guidance;  and  the  construction  which  I  have  been 
led  to  place  on  providential  indications  in  the  case  makes  me 
feel  that  I  ought  to  go.  I  have  pleaded  with  the  Church,  I 
have  pleaded  with  God,  that  I  might  not  be  sent  to  Columbia. 
The  call,  however,  has  been  repeated  again  and  again,  and  in 
such  a  way  as  to  create  the  fear  that  I  might  be  found  to  fight 
against  Providence  by  refusing  to  go.  I  flatter  myself  that  you 
are  reluctant  to  part  the  bond  which  unites  us.  So  am  I.  Were 
such  the  will  of  the  Lord,  gladly  would  I  stay  with  you ;  but 
He  seems  to  order  otherwise,  and  I  beg  you  to  acquiesce  in  the 
action  of  the  upper  courts  of  the  Church. 

"Praying  that  the  Holy  Spirit  may  direct  you  in  this  matter, 
and  that  grace,  mercy  and  peace  from  God  the  Father  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  may  be  multiplied  abundantly  unto  you,  I 
am,  my  dear  brethren  and  friends, 

"Your  unworthy  brother  and  servant  in  Jesus, 

"John  L.  Girardeau." 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  161 

To  this  letter,  23resented  at  a  meeting  of  the  congre- 
gation on  December  27,  1875,  the  following  preamble 
and  resolutions  presented  by  Dr.  F.  M.  Robertson,  were 
unanimously  adopted  in  response: 

"The  ordeal  through  which  this  church  has  been  called  to 
pass  impresses  upon  us  a  lesson  which  can  never  be  forgotten, 
and  which  should  not  be  permitted  to  pass  by  without  an 
appropriate  recognition  and  record  of  the  deep  feeling  which 
has  moved  the  entire  congregation.  From  the  moment  the 
remarkable  proceedings  of  the  General  Assembly  of  our  Church, 
at  its  meeting  in  the  City  of  St.  Louis  in  May  last,  calling  our 
beloved  pastor,  with  an  almost  unprecedented  unanimity  and 
emphasis,  to  fill  a  vacant  chair  in  the  Theological  Seminary  in 
Columbia,  S.  C,  was  made  known  to  us,  our  hearts  have  been 
alternately  agitated  with  fear  and  hope. 

"If  the  question  of  his  acceptance  of  the  position  had  been 
submitted  to  this  church  and  congregation,  no  doubt  the  answer 
would  have  been  an  emphatic  unwillingness  to  part  with  him. 
And  it  was  a  sad  trial  for  us  to  refrain  from  entering  a  direct 
plea  in  behalf  of  the  little  flock  in  Glebe  street,  who  felt  that 
the  removal  of  their  gifted,  able,  eloquent  and  beloved  pastor 
would  have  tested  the  grace  of  acquiescence  in  the  wishes  of 
the  General  Assembly,  the  highest  court  of  our  Church,  to  the 
last  degree. 

"The  possibility  of  the  severence  of  our  relation  as  pastor 
and  flock  has  now  and  then  been  presented  to  us,  but  our 
answer  has  been  uniformly  the  same,  'We  desire  no  change.' 
Our  attachment  to  him  has  grown  with  each  rolling  year.  We 
have  earnestly  prayed  that  the  day  of  our  separation  as  pastor 
and  people  might  be  far,  far  distant,  and  that  our  Divine  Mas- 
ter would  strengthen  the  cords,  and  more  firmly  cement  the 
bonds  of  our  union,  and  enable  us  to  add  fresh  proof  from  year 
to  year  of  our  heartfelt  devotion  to  him. 

"But  an  All-wise  Providence  has  directed  that  he  should  be 
transferred  to  another  sphere  of  labor  in  the  vineyard  of  the 
Lord.  He  tells  us,  in  his  letter  to  the  congregation,  that  the 
reiterated,  unanimous  and  cordial  calls  from  the  General  Assem- 
bly, Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  and  the 
Synods  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  appeal  to  him  in  such  a 


162  The  Life  Work  of 

manner  as  to  force  upon  him  the  conviction  that  it  would  be 
flying  in  the  face  of  Providence  to  refuse  to  comply.  In  his 
letter  to  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological  Seminary  he 
states,  'Among  the  moral  reasons  which  have  influenced  me, 
unwillingness  to  give  up  my  present  field  of  labor  did  not  have 
a  place.  It  would  indeed  be  a  great  wrench  to  my  feelings  to 
be  obliged  to  leave  my  people,  who  have  always  treated  me  so 
generously  and  affectionately,  but  I  admitted  the  power  of  the 
Assembly  to  order  the  transfer.' 

"Under  these  circumstances  it  becomes  us  to  pause  before 
we  adopt  such  a  course  as  may  embarrass  him  in  following 
what  he  considers  the  path  of  paramount  duty.  It  is  unfortu- 
nately true  that  the  very  idea  of  our  separation  awakens 
gloomy  forebodings  in  the  minds  of  many  as  to  the  future  of 
our  church.  But  let  us  remember,  beloved  friends,  this  is 
God's  church.  He  who  has  watched  over  us  in  the  past,  and 
used  us,  as  we  humbly  trust,  as  instruments  to  extend  His 
kingdom,  and  for  the  promotion  of  His  glory,  will  sustain  us 
in  the  future.  Paul  may  plant  and  Apollos  water,  but  God 
alone  can  give  the  increase.  Let  us  present  a  united  and  har- 
monious front.  With  an  unwavering  faith  let  us  be  true  to 
God's  Church,  and  be  assured  He  will  be  true  to  us.  Our  mis- 
sion as  a  church  and  congregation  is  not  a  mere  declaration  of 
words.  No,  no.  Let  us  show  our  faith  by  our  works.  Look 
around.  Even  within  the  bounds  of  our  own  Presbytery,  and 
particularly  on  the  seaboard,  behold  prostrate  churches  and 
souls  starving  for  the  want  of  heavenly  bread.  Let  us  hold 
together;  cry  to  the  Master  for  help;  redouble  our  efforts  to 
resuscitate  these  prostrate  churches  and  send  a  pure  gospel  to 
the  destitude. 

"1.  Resolved,  That  it  is  with  the  most  unfeigned  regret  and 
sorrow  that  we  have  received  the  letter  of  our  beloved  pastor, 
the  Rev.  J.  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  in  which,  under  the  pressure 
of  Providential  indications,  he  has  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
accept  a  call  to  a  vacant  chair  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  and 
tender  his  resignation  as  pastor  of  this  church. 

"2.  Resolved,  That  after  a  calm  and  prayerful  consideration 
of  the  correspondence  between  the  directors  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Girardeau,  and  a  careful  review  of 
his  letter  to  this  congregation,  we  feel  reluctantly  constrained 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  163 

to  unite  with  him  in  asking  the  Charleston  Presbytery  to  dis- 
solve the  pastoral  relations  now  existing  between  us. 

"3.  Resolved,  That  the  session  of  this  church  be  requested 
to  ask  the  Rev.  Dr.  Girardeau,  if  not  inconsistent  with  his  other 
duties,  to  supply  the  pulpit  of  this  church  until  the  1st  of 
April  next,  when  our  fiscal  year  will  terminate,  and  to  earn- 
estly urge  him  to  comply  with  this  request. 

"4.  Resolved,  That  an  authenticated  copy  of  the  foregoing 
preamble  and  resolutions  be  forwarded  to  Charleston  Presby- 
tery, through  the  representative  of  this  church  to  that  body. 
Also  that  a  copy  be  handed  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Girardeau. 

"5.  Resolved,  That  the  action  of  this  meeting  touching  the 
resignation  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Girardeau  of  his  pastoral  charge 
of  this  church  and  congregation  be  published  in  the  Southern 
Preshyterian,  and  that  the  Session  be  requested  to  have  the 
same  spread  upon  the  Sessional  Records  of  this  church." 

The  Charleston  Presbytery  shortly  afterwards,  at 
a  pro-ac-rata  meeting,  dissolved  the  pastoral  relation; 
and  while  Dr.  Girardeau,  in  compliance  with  the 
request  of  the  congregation,  continued  to  supply  the 
pulpit  for  several  months,  he  promptly  removed  to 
Columbia  and  took  up  the  work  in  the  Theological 
Seminary.  And  thus  terminated  his  happy  and  suc- 
cessful pastorate  of  ten  years  in  Zion  Church,  Glebe 
Street. 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE  SEMINARY  PROFESSOR 

By  W.  T.  Hall,  D.  D. 

Columbia  Seminary,  known  at  the  present  time 
technically  as  "The  Theological  Seminary  of  South 
Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama  and  Florida,"  was 
founded  in  1828  by  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia.  For  a  3^ear  or  two  it  was  conducted  at  Liv- 
ingston, Georgia,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Goulding,  D.  D., 
being  the  only  professor.  In  1830  it  was  transferred 
to  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  and  in  1831  to  its  present 
eligible  site  on  Blanding  Street.  In  chronological  order 
it  was  the  eighth  strictly  theological  seminary  estab- 
lished in  the  United  States.  The  first  was  established 
in  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1793,  by  the  Asso- 
ciate Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America ;  the  sec- 
ond, by  the  Associate  Reformed  Church,  in  New  York, 
in  1804;  the  third  was  Andover,  in  1806;  the  fourth 
New  Brunswick,  in  1810;  the  fifth  Princeton,  in  1811; 
the  sixth  Union  Seminary  in  Virginia,  in  1824;  the 
seventh  the  Associate  Reformed  Seminary  at  Alle- 
ghany, Pennsylvania.  It  thus  appears  that  our  branch 
of  the  Reformed  Church  was  not  the  first  to  begin  the 
work  in  this  country  of  erecting  strictly  theological 
schools  for  the  regular  training  of  ministers  of  religion, 
and  that  it  was  not  content  to  combine  its  resources  on 
a  single  great  institution  at  some  suitable  locality. 
The  idea  underlying  the  policy  adopted  b}^  our  fathers 
was  the  importance  of  educating  candidates  for  the 
ministry  at  home.    It  was  thought  that  the  number  of 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  165 

candidates  would  be  increased  by  having  seminaries  of 
sacred  learning  distributed  over  the  territory  at  suit- 
able intervals;  that  the  candidates  would  be  better 
adapted  to  the  work  in  the  home  field;  and  that  dif- 
ferent sections  of  the  Church  would  have  an  equal 
chance  to  secure  a  supply  of  laborers.  The  records  of 
the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  show  that 
all  these  considerations  operated  on  the  minds  of  the 
founders  of  Columbia  Seminary.  And  a  survey  of  the 
work  done  by  the  Seminary  in  aiding  to  plant  and 
develop  our  Church  in  the  tier  of  States  from  South 
Carolina  to  Texas  abundantly  vindicates  the  wisdom 
of  its  founders.  At  the  semi-centennial  of  the  Sem- 
inary, celebrated  in  1881,  the  Rev.  George  Howe,  D.  D., 
L.L.  D.,  who  gave  his  whole  life  to  the  service  of  the 
institution,  made  the  following  statement,  which  illus- 
trates the  point :  "More  than  three-fourths  of  the  min- 
isters and  licentiates  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina, 
more  than  half  of  those  of  the  Synod  of  Georgia, 
about  one-third  of  those  of  the  Synod  of  Alabama  and 
Arkansas,  nearly  one-half  of  the  Synods  of  Memphis 
and  Mississippi  were  students  of  this  Seminary."  It 
should  not,  however,  be  inferred  that  the  founders  of 
the  Seminary  had  in  view  only  the  benefit  of  these 
extreme  Southern  States.  They  recognized  the  fact 
that  the  field  is  the  world,  and  planted  the  institution 
with  reference  to  every  department  of  Church  work. 
More  than  seven  hundred  ministers  have  been  trained 
for  their  work  in  her  classrooms;  and  have  gone  forth 
to  adorn  the  pulpit  and  the  press,  to  preside  over  insti- 
tutions of  learning,  to  fill  the  chairs  of  theological  sem- 
inaries, and  to  take  a  leading  part  in  evangelizing 
the  world.  Particularly  has  the  service  of  her  sons 
been  conspicuous  in  the  great  work  of  foreign  missions 


166  The  Life  Work  of 

and  in  the  efforts  to  evangelise  the  colored  population 
in  our  Southern  country.  How  could  it  be  otherwise 
with  John  Leighton  Wilson  and  John  L.  Girardeau 
among  her  alumni  ? 

Dr.  Girardeau  w^s  elected  Professor  of  Didactic  and 
Polemic  Theology  in  1875.  He  was  the  sixth  in  the 
line  of  eminent  theologians  who  had  been  called  suc- 
cessively to  this  responsible  position — including  Dr. 
Goulding  at  the  beginning,  and  Dr.  Palmer  for  a  year 
or  two  during  the  War  between  the  States.  We  may 
refer  again  to  the  historical  discourse  of  Dr.  Howe  for 
a  glimpse  of  several  of  these  distinguished  men.  "And 
now  the  forms  of  my  own  associates  of  the  faculty 
pass  before  me — of  Dr.  Goulding,  my  first  colleague, 
who,  as  he  sometimes  humorously  said  to  me,  'was  the 
first  native  of  Georgia  that  became  a  Presbyterian 
minister  since  the  foundation  of  the  world';  and  who 
served  the  Church  faithfully  in  this  office  for  six  years ; 
of  Dr.  A.  W.  Leland,  of  commanding  person  and  high 
native  endowments,  who  served  the  Seminary  as  pro- 
fessor first  of  theology,  and  then  of  rhetoric  and  pas- 
toral theology,  for  thirty-one  years,  till  disabled  by 
disease;  of  the  matchless  J.  H.  Thornwell,  D.  D., 
L.L.  D..  professor  for  six  years  of  Didactic  and 
Polemic  Theology,  called  away,  alas!  too  soon  for  us, 
to  the  skies;  and  to  these  brethren  so  dear  to  us,  we 
have  to  add  another,  nomen  clarum  et  venerahile\  Wil- 
liam S.  Plumer,  D.  D.,  L.L.  D.,  whom  our  Lord  and 
Master  has  called  home  to  himself  from  a  life  of  great 
usefulness  and  unremitted  toil." 

During  the  war  the  Seminary,  with  the  consent  of 
the  Synods  then  owning  it,  passed  under  the  control 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  so  continued  until  after  the  date  of  Dr. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  167 

Girardeau's  election.  Thus  it  happened  that  he  was 
called  to  service  in  the  Seminary  by  the  voice  of  the 
whole  Church,  expressed  through  the  commissioners  to 
the  Assembly.  The  election  was  held  by  the  Assembly 
during  its  sessions  in  the  City  of  St.  Louis  in  1875. 
The  nomination  was  made  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Palmer,  of 
New  Orleans,  in  a  memorable  speech.  He  had  known 
Dr.  Girardeau  from  a  child.  They  were  both  born  in 
or  near  the  City  of  Charleston,  and  were  both  trained 
at  Columbia  Seminary.  For  many  years  they  were 
associated  as  members  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina. 
Dr.  Palmer  also  had  full  knowledge  of  the  needs  of  the 
Seminary.  He  had  known  the  institution  through  all 
its  troubled  history  and  had  been  twice  a  member  of 
its  faculty.  Perhaps  he  never  felt  greater  satisfaction 
in  any  event  which  he  had  a  hand  in  shaping  than  in 
the  call  of  his  friend  to  the  chair  of  theology.  It  did 
not  require,  however,  much  eloquent  speech  to  move 
and  guide  the  Assembly  on  the  occasion.  The  atten- 
tion of  the  friends  of  the  Seminary  had  been  directed 
to  Dr.  Girardeau  for  years  as  the  proper  successor  to 
the  lamented  Dr.  Thornwell.  They  recognized  in  him 
a  man  of  deep  piety,  scholarly  tastes,  large  attain- 
ments and  national  reputation  as  a  preacher.  No  other 
man  of  his  age  in  all  the  Church  combined  so  many 
admirable  qualities.  He  was  known  to  be  in  full  sym- 
pathy with  all  that  distinguished  the  Southern  Church 
from  other  Presbyterian  bodies.  He  had  become 
famous  as  a  preacher  to  the  negroes  in  Charleston,  and 
spent  his  life  in  their  service,  notwithstanding  his 
devotion  to  the  principles  for  which  the  Confederate 
Government  contended  to  the  bitter  end.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  say  that  his  election  was  hearty  and  unan- 
imous; and  that  it  gave  great  satisfaction  to  all  the 


16S  The  Life  Work  of 

friends  and  alumni  of  the  Seminary.  The  right  man 
had  been  found  at  last. 

But  what  appeared  so  clear  to  the  minds  of  all  the 
other  alumni  and  friends  of  the  Seminary  was  a  source 
of  anxious  thought  and  great  embarrassment  to  Dr. 
Girardeau  himself.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  in  September,  1875,  the  following  resolution 
was  adopted : 

"That  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  write  to  Rev. 
J.  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  and  state  to  him  that  this 
Board  regrets  that  he  has  declined  to  accept  the  pro- 
fessorship tendered  to  him  by  the  Assembly,  and 
requests  him  to  reconsider  the  matter;  and,  if  he  can 
see  his  way  clear  to  do  so,  that  he  will  yet  accept  the 
appointment." 

In  reply  to  this  communication  from  the  Board, 
Dr.  Girardeau  made  the  following  answer : 

"Dear  Brethren :  The  Synod  of  South  Carolina,  at  the  late 
meeting,  the  Synod  of  Georgia  having  subsequently  concurred, 
urged  me  to  withdraw  the  letter  to  the  Moderator  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  in  which  I  had  declined  to  take  the  chair  of 
Theology  in  the  Seminary  at  Columbia.  In  earnestly  endeavor- 
ing to  dissuade  the  Synod  from  adopting  that  action,  I  pressed 
one  reason,  although  there  were  others  which  had  been  prom- 
inent and  obtrusive  against  my  assuming  the  responsibility  of 
the  professorship.  I  afterwards  regretted  that  I  did  not  give 
a  fuller  disclosure  of  my  difficulties,  but  the  proposition  took 
me  by  surprise,  and  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  I  presented  the 
great  reason  which  appeared  to  my  mind  sufiicient  of  itself  to 
oppose  my  acceptance  of  the  chair.  The  action  of  the  Synod 
over  my  protest,  I  am  constrained  to  confess,  deeply  affected 
me.  The  fact  that  it  was  taken  by  a  body  which  knew  me 
well,  and  which  I  greatly  loved  and  honored,  and  that  a  ques- 
tion already  once  decided  against,  imposing  sanctions  was 
again  urged  upon  me  with  a  persistency  I  could  not  account 
for,  both  humbled  and  impressed  me.     I  felt  that  I  was  called 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  169 

on  to  reconsider  the  decision  whicli  had  been  rendered.  Having 
done  so,  I  now  beg  to  lay  before  you  for  your  consideration  the 
result  which  has  been  reached.  I  have  been  extremely  reluct- 
ant to  submit  the  case  in  such  a  form  as  supposes  a  meeting 
of  the  board,  but  I  am  shut  up  either  to  take  that  course  or 
else  absolutely  to  decline.  And  I  am  compelled  to  address  this 
communication  to  the  board  and  not  to  the  Synod,  because  the 
latter  body  will  not  meet  again  until  late  in  next  year,  and  it 
is  practicable  for  the  former  to  convene  at  any  time.  The 
propriety  of  invoking  the  action  of  the  board,  moreover,  is  .i"s- 
tified  by  the  consideration  that  they  represented  different  Synods, 
and  that  they  are  the  immediate  curators  of  the  Seminary. 
This,  I  beg,  may  be  accepted  as  my  excuse  for  subjecting  the 
members  of  the  board  to  the  inconvenience  of  a  special  meet- 
ing, should  one  be  deemed  necessary. 

"Circumstances  render  it  proper  and  desirable  that  I  should, 
at  this  stage  of  the  matter,  frankly  expose  to  you,  brethren  of 
the  board,  the  past  and  present  posture  of  my  mind  in  relation 
to  it.  This  I  will  attempt  to  do  with  as  much  brevity  as  will 
consist  with  clearness.  The  reasons  which  have  hitherto  oper- 
ated upon  me  have  been  of  two  sorts — one  the  matter  of  which 
was  intellectual,  and  the  other  the  matter  of  which  was  moral. 
In  the  first  place,  I  was  conscious  of  an  inadequate  furniture 
of  scholarship  and  learning  for  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
a  chair  which  had  been  adorned  by  erudition  as  well  as  illus- 
trated by  genius.  It  was  not  so  much  a  question  of  capacity, 
even  though  I  could  lay  no  claim  to  such  a  measure  of  it  as 
the  requirements  of  the  chair  demand.  Upon  that  point  my 
brethren  had  possessed  the  means  of  judging,  and,  if  they 
thought  me  suited  to  be  in  some  measure  profitable  to  the 
Church  in  that  respect,  I  was  prepared  to  defer  to  their  judg- 
ment. But  it  was  a  question  of  attainment  which  oppressed 
me  and  my  own  convictions  as  to  that  point  sustained  me  in 
declining  the  position.  Since  the  fresh  and  urgent  pressure  of 
the  matter  upon  me  by  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina,  with  the 
concurrence  of  the  Synod  of  Georgia,  I  have  been  led,  somewhat 
to  my  own  surprise,  to  take  the  view  that  the  responsibility  is 
lifted  from  me  and  assumed  by  the  Church.  I  faithfully  sub- 
mitted the  difliculty  and  it  has  been  overruled.  That  reason, 
therefore,  though  still  keenly  felt,  I  now  consent  to  waive. 


170  The  Life  Work  of 

"In  the  second  place,  among  the  moral  reasons  which  have 
influenced  me,  unwilling  to  give  up  my  present  field  of  labor 
did  not  have  a  place.  It  would  indeed  be  a  great  wrench  to  my 
feelings  to  be  obliged  to  leave  my  beloved  people,  who  have 
always  treated  me  so  generously  and  affectionately,  but  I 
admitted  the  power  of  the  Assembly  to  make  the  transfer. 
Those  reasons  were  the  following  :  1.  There  were  certain  private 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  my  acceptance  which  appeared  to  me 
to  contribute  to  the  justification  of  a  declination.  That  reason, 
also,  although  not  without  great  reluctance,  I  now  relinquish. 
2.  I  had  received  positive  information  that  an  impression 
existed,  previously  to  my  election  by  the  Assembly,  that  I 
aspired  to  the  Theological  chair  at  Columbia,  and  also  that  in 
certain  quarters  a  belief  was  entertained  that  there  was  a  plan 
on  the  part  of  others  which  contemplated  my  being  ultimately 
placed  in  it.  In  regard  to  the  former  I  was  innocent,  and  as 
to  the  latter  I  was  ignorant.  If  any  such  plan  existed  I  was 
unacquainted  with  it.  It  is  plain  that  had  I  complied  with  the 
call  of  the  Assembly  those  suppositions  never  could  have  been 
rebutted.  Now,  however,  in  consequence  of  my  having  declined, 
they  must  be  exploded.  That  reason,  therefore,  is  no  longer 
operative.  3.  I  had  made  common  cause  with  the  brethren  who 
have  retired  from  the  Seminary  in  contending  for  the  principle 
of  obedience  to  law  on  the  part  of  theological  students.  In 
that  contest  we  were  defeated.  Hence  a  two-fold  difficulty 
arose.  How  could  I  consistently  go  into  an  institution  in  which 
the  principle  to  which  we  had  borne  testimony  had  been  pros- 
trated? And  how  could  I,  by  going  in,  appear  to  desert  my 
friends  who  were  out  precisely  on  that  issue?  Fidelity  alike  to 
principle  and  to  friendship  seemed  to  rise  up  and  dispute  my 
passage  to  the  Seminary.  Nor  could  these  things  be  easily 
separated,  for  the  principle  of  obedience  to  constitutional  law 
appeared  to  be  incarnated  in  my  friends  as  living  representa- 
tives of  it,  and  representatives  in  defeat.  It  is  this  difficulty 
which,  since  the  solution  of  others,  has  emerged  into  promi- 
nence and  occasioned  my  delay  in  responding  to  the  request  of 
the  Synod.  It  is  true  the  last  Assembly  in  electing  to  a  chair  in 
the  Seminary  one  who  was  known  to  have  stood  for  the  princi- 
ple to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  seemed  to  give  it  a  practi- 
cal endorsement;  but  the  concession  was  virtual,  not  explicit, 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  171 

and  nothing  was  said  or  done  beyond  an  implicit  approval 
which  directly  relieved  the  position  of  the  brethren  who  retired 
from  the  Seminary.  Fidelity  to  friendship,  then,  and  obedience 
to  the  call  of  the  church  confronted  each  other.  If  they  could 
in  no  way  be  reconciled,  I  felt  that  I  must  yield  to  the  claims 
of  the  former  and  decline  compliance  with  the  call  of  the 
Church  as  incorrectly  addressed  to  one  under  such  circum- 
stances. Since  it  is  obvious  that  the  Church  cannot  legitimately 
call  an  individual  to  violate  fundamental  obligations  enforce<l 
alike  by  nature  and  the  word  of  God.  The  question,  then,  was 
narrowed  down  to  this :  Would  my  going  to  the  Seminary  be 
fairly  interpretable  as  an  abandonment  of  the  cause  which  was 
common  to  me  with  my  friends,  and  to  an  abandonment  of 
them?  Now  the  cause  was  common  to  them  and  me  in  so  far 
as  the  contest  for  the  maintenance  of  the  principle  of  obedi- 
ence to  law  was  concerned.  If,  then,  my  giong  into  the  Sem- 
inary would  imply  my  relinquishment,  or  even  compromise,  of 
that  principle,  I  could  not  go.  Conscience  and  honor  would 
bar  its  gates  to  me. 

"If,  therefore,  I  go  into  the  Seminary,  it  can  only  be  under 
this  distinct  understanding:  that  I  regard  the  action  of  the 
Assembly  of  1875  as  an  endorsement  of  the  principle  in  ques- 
tion, and  as  consequently  opening  the  way  for  one  who  main- 
tained it  to  enter  the  institution,  and  also  as  virtually  sustain- 
ing the  retired  professor  in  so  far  as  their  maintenance  of  ths>t 
principle  was  concerned ;  that  I  still  uphold  that  principle  and 
would  feel  bound  on  any  future  occasion  of  its  being  chal- 
lenged to  give  it  my  support;  that  I  cannot  consent  to  be  con- 
strued as  a  sort  of  embodied  compromise  measure  with  neutral 
aspect  toward  opposite  and  conflicting  principles;  that  it  is 
my  opinion  that  the  utterance  of  the  Church  in  her  supreme 
court  ought  to  have  been  definitely  given  in  favor  of  the  great 
principle  of  obedience  to  law  and  legitimate  authority.  What- 
ever view  may  have  been  expressed  as  to  the  expediency  or 
inexpediency  in  the  first  instance  of  a  particular  measure 
which  gave  rise  to  the  issue  between  that  principle  and  the 
will  of  the  students;  that  to  the  brethren  who  have  retired 
from  the  Seminary  ought  to  have  been  saved  from  that  position 
of  apparent  humiliation  in  which  they  have  been  placed,  but 
in  which  they  must  be  consoled  by  the  reflection  that  they  are 


172  The  Life  Work  of 

vindicated  by  truth,  and  that  the  injustice  which  I  conceive 
they  have  suffered  ought  to  be  removed  by  some  explicit  utter- 
ance of  the  General  Assembly. 

"At  the  same  time  I  beg  to  say  that  should  I  go,  it  would  not 
be  in  any  belligerent  or  disputatious  spirit,  but  with  the  pur- 
pose to  refrain  from  agitating  the  facts  or  rekindling  the  pas- 
sions of  the  past,  and  to  endeavor,  so  far  as  in  me  lies,  to  act 
kindly,  cautiously  and  fraternally  toward  all  my  colleagues, 
and  with  the  hope  that  it  may  please  the  Lord  Jesus  to  use  me 
as  an  instrument  for  healing  divisions,  and  so  far  contributing 
to  the  advancement  of  the  Seminary  and  the  interest  of  our 
beloved  Zion. 

"I  lay  before  you,  brethren  of  the  board,  this  plain  declara- 
tion of  my  views,  and  very  respectfully  crave  your  judgment  in 
the  case.  If  in  the  light  of  this  statement  you  deem  it  inexpe- 
dient that  I  should  go  into  the  Seminary,  an  intimation  from 
you  to  that  effect  will  be  all  that  is  necessary.  I  will,  in  that 
event,  allow  my  letter  of  declination  to  remain  in  the  hands  of 
the  Moderator  of  the  Assembly.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  with 
this  statement  before  you,  it  still  be  your  judgment,  given 
unanimously,  that  I  ought  to  go  into  the  institution,  I  will 
withdraw  that  letter.  In  that  case,  as  the  Seminary  has  been 
in  session  for  some  time,  I  will  submit  to  your  will  as  to  the 
question  when  I  should  enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  chair, 
whether  during  the  present  term  or  at  the  commencement  of 
the  next. 

"I  deem  it  required,  by  the  allusions  which  have  been  made 
in  this  letter  to  Dr.  Wilson  and  Dr.  Adger,  and  by  justice  to 
them,  to  say  that  the  former  emphatically  expressed  his  wish 
that  I  should  go  to  the  Seminary  by  the  motion  which  he 
offered  as  to  the  form  of  the  vote  at  my  election,  and  that  the 
latter  has  requested  me  to  throw  out  of  the  account  my  personal 
relations  to  himself,  and  has  expressed  a  strong  desire  that  I 
snould  accept  the  professorship. 

"I  should  be  greatly  pained  if  the  impression  should  in  the 
least  degree  be  made  upon  your  minds  that  I  have  written  in 
any  spirit  of  arrogance.  Very  far  from  it.  I  am  too  deeply 
sensible  of  the  honor  conferred  upon  me  and  the  confidence 
reposed  in  me  by  my  brethren,  as  well  as  my  unworthiness  and 
weakness;  have  been  too  profoundly  exercised  in  regard  to  a 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  173 

question  at  once  so  critical  to  me,  and  so  closely  related  to  the 
interests  of  the  Church,  to  have  been  governed  by  any  other 
feeling  than  one  of  humility. 

"I  come  to  you  with  the  humble  and  earnest  prayer  that  the 
Lord  may  reveal  his  will  through  the  action  which  your  wisdom 
may  suggest. 

"Permit  me  in  conclusion  to  ask  that  you  will  do  me  the 
favor,  when  you  shall  have  acted  upon  this  communication,  to 
give  it  publicity. 

"I  am,  dear  brethren,  with  high  esteem, 

"Very  truly  yours, 

"John  L.  Girardeau." 

On  this  communication  the  Board  took  the  following 
action : 

"1.  That  it  sees  nothing  in  the  views  expressed  in 
the  letter  inconsistent  with  Dr.  Girardeau's  accepting 
the  position  in  the  Seminary  to  which  he  has  been 
called. 

"2.  That  this  Board  unanimously  and  most  heartily 
repeats  the  call  of  the  Assembly  and  the  Synods  of 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia  and  the  Board  to  Dr. 
Girardeau  to  accept  the  chair  thus  proffered  to  him." 

Dr.  Girardeau's  notes  show  the  spirit  with  which 
he  entered  his  Avork,  and  the  methods  used  by  him. 

"I  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  my  duties  here 
January  18th,  1876.  I  was,  previously  to  my  first 
lecture,  anxious  almost  to  sickness.  I  could  not  endure 
the  thought  of  undertaking  an  office  for  which  my 
furniture  was  consciously  so  inadequate.  But  the  Lord 
helped  me.  I  was  enabled  to  speak  with  freedom  in 
my  first  attempt,  with  the  senior  class,  on  the  Dispo- 
sitions proper  to  the  study  of  Theology.  And  I  have 
been  helped  since.  I  commit  myself  and  this  work  to 
which  I  did  not  call  myself,  to  the  Almighty,  faithful 


174  The  Life  Work  of 

hands  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Glorious  Saviour !  I  adore, 
I  admire,  I  love  Thee !  Use  me  to  show  forth  Thy 
matchless  beauty,  loveliness  and  glory !  Enrich  me 
with  all  knowledge  and  utterance,  for  Thy  name's 
sake.  Amen.  J.  L.  G." 

"First  Meeting  With  Senior  Class. 
"I.  The  Text  Book  to  be  used. 

"Choice  lies  between  Calvin  and  Hodge. 
"Reasons  for  electing  the  latter. 
"II.  Get  Calvin,  and  get  him  as  well  in  the  original  as  in  the 
translation. 
"Read  him  daily,  in  the  original — if  only  a  brief  passage. 
"On  the  topic  for  study  the  translation  may  be  used, 

parallel  with  Hodge. 
"Get  Hill  also.     Lectures  in  Divinity.    Comparative  The- 
ology. 
"Read  Thornwell's  Second  Volume.     Masterly  discussion. 
Turettin. 
"III.  Methods. 

"1.  Recitation  upon  text-book. 

"2.  Interrogation. 

"3.  Lectures — unwritten  and  written. 

"4.  Written  analyses  of  each  day's  exercise." 

"Preliminary  Remarks. 

"1.  Relation  between  the  instructor  and  the  students. 

"2.  Free  interrogation  by  the  class.  Free  discussion  under 
limitations.  (1)  Must  not  be  captious.  (2)  Must  not  be  to 
cover  want  of  preparation,  or  to  consume  time.  (3)  Must  be 
respectful. 

"3.  My  advice  to  you  is,  that,  ordinarily,  you  do  not  pursue 
the  plan  of  taking  notes  of  the  remarks  made  by  the  professor ; 
except  in  the  case  of  definitions,  leading  divisions,  and  state- 
ments written  on  the  blackboard. 

"1.  The  practice  will  prove  injurious  to  your  training  as 
extemporaneous  preachers.    The  opposite  practice  beneficial. 

"2.  Injurious,  also  to  your  training  as  debaters  and  speakers. 

"3.  Hurtful  to  the  memory.    The  bearing  upon  attention. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  175 

"4.  Less  stimulating  to  the  teacher,  especially  when  lecturing. 

"5.  You  are  not  training  to  be  expert  reporters. 

"6.  Illustration  derived  from  my  listening  to  Thornwell  and 
Palmer. 

"7.  This  counsel  is  given  only  in  regard  to  my  own  chair. 
Each  professor  must  determine  for  himself  concerning  this  mat- 
ter.    So,  likewise,  must,  to  some  extent,  each  student. 

"8.  After  each  recitation  write  out  scheme  as  far  as  possible. 
The  diflBculties  may  be  great,  but  success  will  be  all  the  greater, 

"9.  Analyses  in  writing,  after  every  recitation,  in  alphabetical 
order." 

"The  Dispositions  Proper  to  the  Study  of  Theology. 
"I.  In  the  general,  those  which  spring  from  conversion. 
"II.  The  love  of  Truth. 

"This  will  induce  zeal  and  industry  in  its  pursuit. 
*'III.  Neutrality  of  mind. 
"What? 

"1.  Indifference  as  to  what  shall  prove  to  be  the  truth 
as  between  conflicting  views. 
"Not  indifference  to  the  truth  itself. 
"2.  Great  law:  Evidence  is  the  measure  of  assent. 
"3.  The     holding     of     previous     judgments,     however 
derived,  except  from  thorough-going,  independent 
investigation,    as    tentative.      The    weight    to    be 
attached    to    early    instructions.      Venerable    pre- 
sumptions, which  are  to  be  held  until  rebutted  by 
competent  evidence. 
"IV.  Humble  dependence  upon  the  Holy  Spirit. 
"V.  Implicit  submission  to  the  dogmatic  authority  of  God's 
Word." 

"The  Methods  of  Study. 
"I.  Analysis  and  synthesis. 
"II.  Regard  for  the  drift  of  a  particular  context. 
"III.  Regard  for  the  analogy  of  the  whole — 'the  proportion  of 
faith.' " 

History  teaches  that  several  conditions  must  meet 
in  order  to  the  production  of  a  great  theologian.  Chief 
among  these  are  extraordinary  endowments,  both  nat- 


176  The  Life  Work  of 

ural  and  gracious;  prolonged  occupation  as  a  profes- 
sional instructor,  and  the  stimulus  of  some  absorbing 
religious  crisis.  This  statement  might  be  illustrated 
by  referring  to  Calvin  and  Chalmers,  or  to  Hodge, 
Dabney  and  Thornwell  in  our  own  country.  The  first 
and  third  of  these  conditions  met  in  the  case  of  Dr. 
Girardeau,  but  the  second  was,  in  a  measure,  absent. 
He  entered  the  Seminary,  as  a  teacher,  in  January, 
1876,  and  retired  voluntarily,  as  he  began  to  feel  the 
burden  of  years,  in  May,  1895.  Time  enough  was 
allowed  to  form  an  acquaintance  with  the  broad  field 
of  theology  and  its  kindred  sciences,  but  not  for  form- 
ulating the  result  in  a  systematic  treatise.  His  pen 
was  not  idle,  as  we  shall  see  further  on,  but  his  pub- 
lished works  are  critical  rather  than  constructive.  In 
adopting  this  policy  he  was  wise.  Dr.  Charles  Hodge 
began  to  teach  in  Princeton  Seminary  in  the  year  1822, 
but  his  "Systematic  Theology"  was  not  written  until 
about  1870.  Dr.  Dabney  and  Dr.  Thornwell  both 
began  their  labors  as  instructors  a  few  years  after  they 
were  ordained  as  ministers.  Dr.  Dabney  lived  to  a 
good  old  age  and  j^reserved  his  vigor  to  the  last.  Con- 
sequently we  have  a  sense  of  completeness  when  we 
read  his  works.  Dr.  Thornwell  was  cut  off  in  his 
fiftieth  year,  when  his  work  was  but  half  finished. 
There  is  perhaps  some  advantage  in  having  in  the 
chair  of  Theology  a  man  who  has  had  considerable 
experience  in  the  pastoral  office,  but  it  is  a  question 
worth  considering  whether  the  gain  would  not  be 
greater  if  the  incumbent  was  allowed  to  give  his  whole 
life  to  the  work  of  teaching.  But,  to  return  to  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  nor  are  we  left  in  doubt  as  to 
the  type  of  theology  he  taught,  by  the  absence  of  a 
systematic  treatise  on  the  subject.     The  text-books  he 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  177 

used,  his  "Discussions  of  Theological  Questions,"  and 
the  statements  of  those  who  studied  under  him  furnish 
ample  evidence  that  he  emphasized  the  Federal  theo- 
logy. By  this  we  mean  the  Reformed  Theology  cast 
in  the  mould  of  the  covenants.  This  will  indicate  with 
sufficient  distinctness  his  devotion  to  the  Westminster 
Confession  of  Faith  and  Catechisms,  as  they  contain 
the  only  Creed  that  teaches  the  doctrines  of  the  Cove- 
nants. But  the  question  remains  as  to  the  extent  of 
the  influence  the  federal  principle  is  to  be  allowed  to 
exercise  in  the  interpretation  of  these  standards.  For- 
tunately for  us,  he  has  spoken  his  mind  on  this  ques- 
tion deliberately  and  freely.  At  the  semi-centennial  of 
Columbia  Seminary  he  delivered  a  carefully  prepared 
address  on  "The  Federal  Theology:  Its  Import  and 
Its  Regulative  Influence."  He  had  been  teaching 
theology  in  the  Seminary  about  six  years,  and  he  prob- 
ably made  use  of  the  occasion  to  indicate  his  position 
as  a  theologian.  As  our  purpose  in  this  sketch  is  to 
allow  Dr.  Girardeau  to  state  his  own  views,  we  will 
quote  freely  from  this  address.  It  opens  with  the  fol- 
lowing brief  history  of  the  origin  of  the  federal  theo- 
logy :  "It  has  become  almost  an  adage,  that  the  Church 
has  developed  her  theology  mainly  through  conflict 
with  error.  This  must  be  so  from  the  nature  of  the 
case.  Attention  is  not  apt  to  be  specially  directed  to 
what  is  undisputed,  and  our  clearest  judgments  are 
delivered  from  comparison.  The  contrast  of  truth  and 
error,  induced  by  the  assertion  of  the  latter,  enhances 
our  comprehension  of  both.  The  doctrine  of  the  cove- 
nants constitutes  no  exception  to  this  law.  It  was  not 
brought  distinctly  under  investigation  and  formally 
developed  until  the  period  succeeding  the  Reformation. 
Luther  grandly   elucidated  the   cardinal   doctrine  of 


178  The  Life  Work  of 

justification  by  faith  alone.  Justification  he  saw 
clearly.  Imputation  he  perceived  less  distinctly:  and 
he  stopi^ed  short  of  the  controlling  principle  of  federal 
representation.  Even  Calvin,  magnificently  endowed 
as  he  was  by  his  abilities  and  learning  for  a  systematic 
treatment  of  revealed  truth,  although  he  produced  a 
theological  work  distinguished  for  its  comprehensive 
grasp  of  the  doctrines  of  religion  in  their  relation  to 
each  other,  did  not  seem  to  haA^e  had  his  mind  defi- 
nitely tuned  to  the  federal  scheme. 

"It  was  when  Placaeus  broached  his  theory  of  the 
mediate  imputation  of  Adam's  sin  that  the  attention 
of  the  Reformed  Church  was  thoroughly  aroused  to 
the  importance  and  scope  of  the  federal  theology.  The 
theologians  of  the  Dutch  School,  in  their  massive 
works,  subjected  it  to  a  full,  if  not  exhaustive,  consid- 
eration; and  their  example  was  followed  by  some  of 
the  most  illustrious  divines  of  England  and  Scotland." 

He  next  considers  the  import  of  the  Federal  Theo- 
logy. In  this  inquiry  he  begins  with  the  Covenant  of 
Grace,  "for  the  reason  that  its  existence  and  the  opera- 
tion of  the  representative  principle  in  connexion  with 
it  are  more  clearly  and  explicitly  set  forth  in  the 
Scriptures  than  are  the  fact  of  the  Covenant  of  Works 
and  the  way  in  which  its  results  are  entailed."  Much 
of  the  discussion  must  be  omitted,  but  the  following 
extracts  will  show  the  drift: 

"In  this  covenant  the  principle  of  representation  was 
involved  as  an  essential  element.  Christ,  by  the 
appointment  of  the  Father,  and  by  His  own  spontane- 
ous election,  became  the  legal  representative  of  the 
elect  seed  who  were  given  to  Him  to  be  redeemed.  He 
undertook  all  their  legal  responsibilities,  as  well  as 
those  which  related  them  to  the  preceptive  require- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  179 

merits  of  the  moral  law,  as  those  which  barred  them  as 
transgressors  to  endure  the  penalty.  Whatever  the 
laAv  exacted  of  them,  in  order  to  their  justification,  he 
as  their  representative  obliged  himself  to  render.  The 
life  of  obedience  due  from  them  He  engaged  to  live; 
the  death  demanded  of  them  He  bound  Himself  to 
die. 

"There  is  a  distinction  which  is  now  strangely  neg- 
lected, but  to  which  the  Calvinistic  theology  ought  to 
be  recalled,  as  vital  to  its  consistency  and  complete- 
ness. .  .  .  The  import  of  it  is  that,  on  the  one  hand, 
the  elect  were,  in  mass,  justified  i7i  foro  Dei,  in  the 
justification  of  Christ  as  their  federal  head  and  repre- 
sentative; and,  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  severally 
justified  m  foro  conscientiae,  when,  in  the  period  of 
their  earthly  history  they  actually  exercise  faith  in 
Christ.  In  the  first  instance,  they  are  conceived  as  jus- 
tified constructively,  federally,  representatively;  m 
the  second,  subjectively  and  consciously.  In  the  first, 
they  were  justified  independently  of  their  voluntary 
conscience;  in  the  second,  they  are  justified  through 
their  conscious  exercise  of  faith. 

"If  the  doctrine  of  the  Covenants  be  scriptural,  it 
is  too  plain  to  need  proof  that  there  is  a  federal  one- 
ness of  Christ  and  His  seed.  When,  as  their  repre- 
sentative, He  yielded  obedience  to  the  law  in  order  to 
justification,  they  yielded  that  obedience  in  Him.  His 
representative  acts  and  experiences,  in  relation  to  that 
end,  were  theirs.  Otherwise  the  principle  of  repre- 
sentation is  a  figment  and  the  term  represe^itative  a 
sham.  .  .  .  TVHiat  hinders,  then,  that  we  should  hold 
that  when  He  was  justified,  they  were  justified  with 
Him?  The  consequence  must  follow  if  He  was  justi- 
fied as  their  head  and  representative.    Not  subjectively 


180  The  Life  Work  of 

and  consciously,  but  federally  and  representatively, 
they  obeyed,  died,  and  rose  again,  and  were,  in  God's 
heavenly  court,  justified,  in  Christ. 

"Xow,  inasmuch  as  no  justification  at  God's  ban  is 
conceivable  except  upon  the  ground  of  a  perfect 
righteousness,  it  is  obvious  that  the  elect  seed  of  Christ 
must  have  been,  in  some  sense,  adjudged  to  be  right- 
eous in  order  to  their  virtual  justification.  That  sense 
is,  that  they  were  righteous  by  imputation.  .  .  . 
Christ's  righteous  was,  in  God's  court,  imputed  to 
them  in  order  to  their  justification  in  Him.  Here,  then, 
it  deserved  to  be  noticed,  we  have  a  case  of  'antecedent 
and  immediate  imputation'  of  righteousness — ante- 
cedent, since  the  imputation  preceded  the  spiritual 
birth  of  the  elect ;  immediate,  since  it  was  not  condi- 
tioned by  or  mediated  through  inherent  and  conscious 
holiness. 

"The  elect  seed  of  Christ  having  been  thus,  in  the 
court  of  heaven,  virtually  justified  in  Him,  their  repre- 
sentative, were  invested  with  a  right  and  title  to  eter- 
nal life.  Then,  when  their  earthly  histor}^  emerges, 
their  righteous  Advocate  and  priestly  Intercessor,  at 
God's  appointed  time,  sent  out  for  them  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  who,  imparted  to  them  by  the  Media- 
torial King,  enters  into  them,  convinces  them  of  their 
sin  and  misery,  illuminates  them  in  a  knowledge  of 
Christ  as  a  Saviour,  regenerates  them,  and  enables 
them  to  exercise  that  which  conditions  their  conscious 
and  actual  union  with  Jesus.  Xot  now  are  they,  for 
the  first  time,  federally  and  representatively,  but  sub- 
jectively and  consciously  justified.  This  is  their  actual, 
in  contradistinction  from  their  virtual,  justification. 
In  the  order  of  production  it  succeeds  regeneration, 
as,  in  that  order,  virtual  precedes  it." 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  181 

The  author  now  turns  to  the  parallel  case  of  the 
operation  of  the  great  principle  of  federal  representa- 
tion in  the  covenant  of  works. 

"Now  had  Adam  fulfilled  the  condition  of  the  cove- 
nant, that  is,  perfect  obedience  to  the  law,  during  the 
specified  time  of  his  trial,  his  posterity  would  have 
fulfilled  the  condition,  would  have  rendered  the  obe- 
dience in  him.  So  was  it,  we  have  seen,  in  the  case  of 
Christ  and  his  seed.  The  obedience  of  the  representa- 
tive is  the  obedience  of  the  represented — yielded  not 
subjectively  and  consciously,  but  federally,  legally, 
representatively.  Nor  does  this  destroy  the  reality  of 
the  constituent's  obedience.  A  representative's  obe- 
dience is  as  real  as  a  conscious.  They  are  differently 
conditioned,  but  they  are  both  real. 

"It  follows,  also,  that  had  Adam  been  justified  his 
posterity  would  in  him  have  been  justified  in  foro  Dei. 
They  would  have  had  previously  to  their  conscious 
existence,  a  virtual  justification  in  him  as  their  head 
and  representative.  The  analogy  holds  between  the 
virtual  justification  of  Christ's  seed  in  his  justification 
and  the  virtual  justification  of  Adam's  descendants  in 
him,  on  the  supposition  that  he  had  fulfilled  his  proba- 
tion. As  no  justification  can  take  place  except  upon 
the  ground  of  a  perfect  righteousness,  the  race,  accord- 
ing to  the  supposition  sharing  his  justification,  would 
have  been,  in  the  court  of  heaven,  justified  on  the 
ground  of  Adam's  righteousness  imputed  to  them. 
These  would,  then,  it  is  clear,  have  been  an  'antecedent 
and  immediate  imputation'  to  them  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  their  federal  representative — antecedent,  as 
anticipating  their  personal  existence  and  inherent 
holiness;  immediate,  as  directly  terminating  on  them 
without  being  mediated  through  their  conscious  virtue. 


182  The  Life  Work  of 

And  when  they  emerged  into  individual  existence,  they 
would — I  am  bold  enough,  pursuing  the  analogy,  to 
think — have  been  actually  justified  upon  their  con- 
scious acceptance  of  God's  appointed  method  of  justifi- 
cation ;  they  would,  in  a  word,  have  been  both  virtually 
and  actually  justified  on  the  ground  of  imputed  right- 
eousness. It  would  have  been  nature's  plan,  as  it  is 
that  of  recovering  grace. 

"But  Adam  fell.  Following  the  lead  of  the  repre- 
sentative principle,  we  cannot  err  in  affirming  that  his 
act  of  disobedience  was  the  race's  act  of  disobedience. 
'They  sinned  in  him,  and  fell  with  him  in  his  first 
transgression.'  They  sinned  in  him,  they  performed 
his  fatal  act,  not  subjectively  and  consciously,  but 
federall3\  legally,  representatively.  It  is  equally  evi- 
dent that  his  condemnation  was  theirs.  He  was  con- 
demned not  merely  on  his  own  account,  but  as  their 
legal  representative;  consequently,  they  were  con- 
demned in  him.  The  sentence,  passed  in  God's  heavenly 
court,  terminated  at  the  same  time  upon  him  and  upon 
his  federal  constituents.  It  was  pronounced  not  in 
foro  conscientiae^  but  in  foi^o  Dei.  But  as  no  sentence 
of  condemnation  can  be  justly  pronounced  except  upon 
the  ground  of  guilt,  and  as  Adam's  posterity  was  not 
in  conscious  existence  when  they  were  thus  condemned, 
his  guilt — the  guilt  of  his  first  sin  as  representatively 
their  sin — was  imputed  to  them  as  the  ground  of  their 
condemnation.  It  was  not  their  guilt  as  contracted 
subjectively  and  consciously,  but  as  incurred  federally, 
legally,  representatively.  In  the  former  sense  the  guilt 
was  that  which  attached  to  another's  sin — peccatum 
alimun;  in  the  later,  it  was  a  guilt  which  resulted  from 
their  own  sin.  The  distinction  is  scriptural  and  obvi- 
ous, and  it  is  the  only  one  which  even  approximately 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  183 

relieves  the  difficulties  which  the  speculative  reason 
encounters  in  its  attempt  to  construe  the  facts  of  the 
case.  But  whether  the  thinking  faculty  is  satisfied  or 
not,  faith  accepts  the  exposition  which  it  recognizes 
as  furnished  by  inspiration  itself. 

"Here,  then,  we  have  again  an  'antecedent  and  imme- 
diate imputation' — the  imputation  of  Adam's  guilt  to 
his  posterity,  which  was  antecedent  to  their  personal 
existence  and  subjective  depravity,  and  which  was 
immediate,  as  not  conditioned  by  or  mediated  through 
their  conscious  corruption.  The  paralellism  between 
the  two  Adams  and  their  respective  seeds  is  in  the 
points  indicated,  without  a  joining  element,  condemna- 
tion being  substituted  for  justification  in  the  instance, 
of  the  first  Adam  and  his  race." 

Having  thus  explained  the  import  of  the  federal  the- 
ology the  author  passes  to  consider  its  regulative 
influence — first  upon  the  doctrines  of  natural  religion, 
the  religion  of  law;  secondly,  upon  those  of  super- 
natural religion,  the  religion  of  redeeming  grace. 

In  the  realm  of  natural  religion,  it  leaves  no  room 
for  Pelagianism  with  its  monstrous  dream  that  men  are 
born  destitute  of  any  character ;  for  Arminianism  with 
its  theory  of  a  family  covenant  and  parental  represen- 
tative; for  the  various  metaphysical  theories  that  seek 
to  explain  the  responsiblity  of  the  race  for  the  sin  of 
Adam  on  other  grounds  than  those  of  legal  representa- 
tion ;  or  for  the  theory  that  federal  guilt  and  subjective 
depravity  so  concur  in  the  same  concrete  and  inseper- 
able  experience  that  neither  is  in  order  to  the  other. 

But  it  has  in  natural  religion  more  than  a  negative 
value.  As  to  this  positive  influence  we  quote  the 
author,  instead  of  giving  the  substance  in  condensed 
form.     "The  regulative  influence  of  the  federal  the- 


184  The  Life  Work  of 

ology  is  in  nothing  more  signally  manifested  than  in 
the  fact  that  it  affords  the  only  tolerable  solution  of  the 
profound  and  awful  mysteries  which  hang  over  the 
moral  history  of  the  race.  We  are  born  in  sin;  we 
begin  our  earthly  career  in  spiritual  death,  disabled 
for  the  performance  of  any  holy  act,  and  bound  apart 
from  God's  redeeming  grace  by  a  fatal  necessity  of 
sinning;  I  say  not  of  committing  this  or  that  partic- 
ular sin,  but  of  sinning.  We  are  required  to  render  a 
perfect  obedience  to  the  divine  law  which  we  have  no 
ability  to  yield;  failing  that,  we  are  commanded  to 
exercise  faith  in  Christ  which  we  have  in  ourselves  no 
power  to  put  forth:  we  cannot  deliver  ourselves  from 
this  mournful  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin  and  death, 
we  are  bound  in  affliction  and  iron:  and  still  we  are 
justly  held  responsible  for  this  condition,  are  right- 
eously condemnable  for  its  existence  and  are  liable,  on 
account  of  it,  to  the  eternal  pains  of  hell.  Is  it  any 
wonder  that  reason  reels  and  staggers  under  the  appar- 
ent contradictions  of  the  case?  that  she  fumbles  like 
the  blind  and  feels  after  some  guiding  hand?  Now 
if  this  were  our  original  state,  if  thus  we  were  at  first 
created,  if  our  history  had  no  other  beginning  than  one 
thus  conditioned,  the  blackness  of  darkness  would  set- 
tle down  upon  the  problem.  But  reason  cannot  be 
satisfied  by  such  a  supposition.  She  craves  and 
demands  another.  Kant's  hypothesis  of  an  extra- 
temporal  condition,  and  Julius  Miiller's  and  Edward 
Beecher's,  of  an  ante-mundane  existence,  in  which  each 
individual  determined  his  destiny  by  a  free  self-decis- 
ion, attest  at  once  her  anxiety  and  her  inability  to 
escape  from  the  gigantic  difficulty.  Scripture,  phil- 
osophy and  consciousness  being  her  guides,  she  is 
estopped  from  taking  that  road  for  deliverance.    Here 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  185 

the  Word  of  God  comes  to  our  help,  and  darts  a  morn- 
ing beam  into  the  deep  midnight  of  the  case.  It 
informs  us  that  our  history  began  not  at  our  birth  but 
at  the  creation  of  Adam,  not  in  the  place  of  our 
nativity,  but  in  Paradise.  In  our  first  parent  appointed 
of  God  our  head  and  representative,  we  had  our  legal 
probation  under  a  covenant,  which  conditioned  upon 
obedience  for  a  limited  time  the  attainment  of  justifi- 
cation and  adoption — of  indefectible  holiness  and  bliss. 
In  him  we  had  freedom  of  will  to  elect  the  path  of 
rectitude  and  to  stand  in  integrity,  in  him  we  were 
endowed  with  amply  sufficient  grace  to  meet  all  the 
requirements  of  the  trial.  But  he  sinned  and  we  sinned 
in  him.  He  fell  and  we  fell  with  him.  We  wilfully 
threw  away  our  ability  to  render  obedience  to  God, 
and,  passing  under  the  curse  of  a  broken  law,  sunk 
into  our  present  condition  of  helpless  inability  as  the 
punishment  of  our  foul  and  inexcusable  revolt.  This 
is  the  solution  which  the  federal  theology  affords  of 
the  mysteries  which  enshrouded  our  moral  state.  Our 
inability  is  not  original,  it  is  penal.  Discard  this  solu- 
tion furnished  by  the  Oracles  of  God,  and  we  shall  find 
that  every  other  oracle  is  as  dumb  as  the  Theban 
Sphinx."  ^ 

In  regard  to  the  regulative  influence  of  the  federal 
theolog}^  upon  the  doctrines  of  supernatural  religion 
attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  no  Calvinist  can 
state  the  successive  steps  in  the  application  of  the 
benefits  of  redemption  apart  from  the  federal  scheme 
without  plunging  into  inextricable  perplexity;  that 
this  scheme  is  the  bulwark  of  imconditional  election, 
partial  atonement,  effectual  calling,  and  the  final  per- 
severance of  the  saints. 


186  The  Life  Work  of 

Here  we  bring  to  a  close  what  we  consider  should  be 
said  in  a  single  chapter  about  the  theology  taught  by 
Dr.  Girardeau  in  the  class  room.  As  intimated  in  the 
beginning,  it  was  thought  advisable  to  state,  as  far  as 
possible  in  his  own  language,  the  distinctive  feature  of 
his  work  in  this  department;  and  not  to  attempt  to 
cull  from  his  many  discussions  of  special  topics  in 
theology  a  summary  of  his  views.  We  will  add  to 
this  judgment  the  further  consideration  that  under 
Dr.  Girardeau's  distribution,  or  division,  of  theology 
the  federal  principle  becomes  pervasive.  He  divides 
theology  into  but  two  parts — the  theology  of  natural 
religion  and  the  theolog;v'  of  evangelical  religion.  The 
first  division  is  concerned  with  all  that  is  popularly 
called  natural  theology  and  also  includes  the  covenants 
of  works.  The  second  division  is  concerned  more  par- 
ticularly with  what  is  embraced  in  the  covenant  of 
grace.  Under  such  a  distribution  the  scope  of  the 
federal  principle  is  almost  without  limit.  And  we  will 
add,  also,  as  a  further  reason  for  such  extensive  quota- 
tions from  the  address  on  "The  Federal  Theology", 
that  the  volume  in  which  it  was  published  is  accessible 
to  very  few  readers  of  the  present  day. 

The  connection  between  certain  branches  of  phil- 
osophy and  theology  is  very  intimate.  It  must  be  so, 
for  the  reason  that  they  occupy  common  ground.  Both 
assume  to  teach  Avhat  is  true  concerning  God  and  man. 
Philosophy  seeks  to  attain  truth  on  these  vast  sub- 
jects by  speculation,  while  theology  relies  upon  the 
testimony  of  God  in  His  Word.  Both  methods  are 
legitimate,  but  different  conclusions  are  liable  to  be 
reached  unless,  on  the  one  hand,  the  student  is  pos- 
sessed of  a  sound  philosophy,  and,  on  the  other,  of  a 
proper  view  of  the  office  of  review  in  regard  to  revela- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  187 

tion.  Church  history  is  full  of  instances  where  phil- 
osophy has  been  substituted  for  theology,  and  also  of 
the  baleful  influence  false  principles  in  philosophy 
have  exerted  in  the  building  of  systems  of  theology. 
It  has  become  common  in  our  theological  seminaries 
to  meet  this  difficulty  by  requiring  a  course  of  lectures 
to  be  given  in  the  junior  year  on  the  subject  of  phil- 
osophy, mental  and  moral.  Dr.  Girardeau's  book, 
"Discussions  of  Philosophical  Questions,"  grew  out  of 
this  requirement.  It  grew  out  of  the  lectures  on  these 
subjects  he  delivered  to  his  classes.  And  we  must  fol- 
low him  into  this  branch  of  his  work. 

In  the  introduction  we  have  the  following  explicit 
statement  of  the  author's  purpose :  "Should  the  ques- 
tion be  asked.  What  ends  are  sought  to  be  accom- 
plished by  these  discussions  ?  the  answer  is,  in  the  gen- 
eral, that  the  writer  desired  clearly  to  explicate  and 
enounce  the  views  derived  from  his  own  reflections, 
and  that  this  desire  was  enhanced  by  the  duty,  bound 
upon  him  professionally,  to  deliver  a  brief  course*  of 
lectures,  during  each  session,  in  the  institution  to 
which  he  is  attached.  More  particularly — and  the 
answer  is  given  in  all  modesty — the  end  contemplated 
by  the  writer  has  been  to  contribute  something,  so 
far  as  his  abilities  would  allow,  toward  a  fuller  devel- 
opment of  the  destructive  principles  of  the  Scottish 
philosophy." 

The  characteristics  of  this  school  of  philosophy  are 
concisely  given  by  Dr.  James  McCosh  as  follows:  "I. 
It  proceeds  on  the  method  of  observation,  professedly 
and  really.  In  this  respect  it  differs  from  nearly  all 
the  philosophies  which  went  before,  from  many  of 
those  which  were  contemporary,  and  from  some  of 
those  which  still  linger  among  us.     The  method  pur- 


188  The  Life  Work  of 

sued  in  Eastern  countries,  in  ancient  Greece  and  Rome, 
in  the  scholastic  times,  and  in  the  earlier  ages  of  mod- 
ern European  speculation,  had  not  been  that  of  induc- 
tion, either  avowedly  or  truly.  ...  To  the  Scottish 
school  belongs  the  merit  of  being  the  first,  avowedly 
and  knowingly,  to  follow  the  inductive  method,  and  to 
employ  it  systematically  in  psychological  investiga- 
tion. As  the  masters  of  the  school  were  the  first  to 
adopt  it,  so  they,  and  those  who  have  borrowed  from 
them,  are  almost  the  only  persons  who  have  studiously 
adhered  to  it.  II.  It  employs  self-consciousness  as  the 
instrument  of  observation.  It  may  thus  be  distin- 
guished from  some  other  schools  with  which  it  has 
been  confounded.  .  .  .  III.  By  the  observation  of 
consciousness,  principles  are  reached  which  are  prior 
to  and  independent  of  experience.  This  is  another 
grand  characteristic  of  the  school,  distinguishing  it, 
on  the  one  hand,  from  empiricism  and  sensationalism; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  from  the  dogmatism  and  a 
prior  speculation  of  all  ages  and  countries.  It  agrees 
with  the  former  in  holding  that  we  can  construct  a 
science  of  mind  only  by  observation,  and  out  of  the 
facts  of  experience;  but,  then,  it  separates  from  them, 
inasmuch  as  it  resolutel}^  maintains  that  we  can  dis- 
cover principles  which  are  not  the  product  of  obser- 
vation and  experience,  and  which  are  in  the  very  con- 
stitution of  the  mind,  and  have  these  the  sanction  of 
the  Author  of  our  nature.  These  are  somewhat  differ- 
ently apprehended  and  described  by  the  masters  of  the 
school,  some  taking  a  deeper  and  others  a  more  super- 
ficial view  of  them.  Hutchison  calls  them  senses,  and 
finds  them,  in  the  very  constitution  of  the  mind.  Eeid 
designates  them  principles  of  common  sense,  and  repre- 
sents them  as  being  natural,  original  and  necessary. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  189 

Stewart  characterizes  them  as  fundamental  laws  of 
human  thought  and  belief.  Brown  makes  them  intu- 
itions simple  and  original.  Hamilton  views  them 
under  a  great  many  aspects,  but  seems  to  contemplate 
them  most  frequently  and  fondly  after  the  manner  of 
Kant,  as  a  priori  forms  or  conditions.  But  whatever 
minor  or  major  differences  there  may  be  in  the  fulness 
of  their  exposition,  or  in  the  favorite  views  which  they 
individually  prefer,  all  who  are  truly  of  the  Scottish 
school  agree  in  maintaining  that  there  are  laws,  prin- 
ciples or  poAvers  in  the  mind  anterior  to  any  reflex 
observation  of  them,  and  acting  independently  of  the 
philosophers'  classification  or  explanation  of  them.'' 

Allow  another  quotation  from  McCosh's  "The  Scot- 
tish Philosophy."  "It  has  been  the  main  aim  of  the 
Scottish  school,  as  modified  and  developed  by  Reid, 
to  throw  back  the  scepticism  of  Hume.  Reid  tells  us 
that  he  once  believed  the  received  doctrine  of  ideas  so 
firmly  as  to  embrace  the  whole  of  Berkeley's  system 
along  with  it,  till,  on  discovering  the  consequences  to 
which  it  had  been  driven  by  Hume,  he  was  led  to 
review  the  whole  theory  and  abandon  it.  Kant 
declares  that  he  was  roused  from  his  dogmatic  slum- 
bers by  the  assaults  of  the  Scottish  sceptic,  and  was 
thus  impelled  to  the  task  of  repelling  the  attack.  .  .  . 
It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  respective  ways  in 
which  the  Scottish  and  the  German  metaphysicians 
sought  to  meet  the  great  skeptic.  It  is  evident  that 
the  assaults  might  be  repelled  at  one  or  other  of  two 
places;  either  when  the  foe  has  entered,  or  after  he  has 
made  certain  advances.  That  the  mind  begins  with 
impressions  and  goes  on  to  ideas,  which  are  mere  repro- 
ductions of  impressions — this  is  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciple of  Hume.  .    .    .  It  is  interesting  to  observe  that 


190  The  Life  Work  of 

Reid  met  him  at  both  these  points.  .  .  .  Kant  exer- 
cised his  best  power  in  meeting  Hume  at  the  other 
(second)  point;  that  is,  in  showing  that  there  is  an 
a  priori  furniture  in  the  mind,  independent  of  all 
experience.  But  what  he  built  with  one  hand  he  took 
down  with  the  other.  For  these  a  priori  forms  could 
not,  in  his  theory,  guarantee  any  objective  reality.  .  .  . 
Sir  W.  Hamilton  sought  to  unite  Reid  and  Kant,  but 
was  never  able  to  weld  thoroughly  together  the  prin- 
ciples which  he  took  from  two  such  different  sources. 
His  doctrine  of  the  relativity  of  knowledge,  and  of 
causation  as  a  mere  importency  of  the  mind,  has  pre- 
pared the  wa}^  for  a  doctrine  of  mere  experience  now 
largely  espoused." 

These  extracts  from  McCosh  enable  us  the  more  fully 
to  appreciate  the  end  and  aim  of  Dr.  Girardeau  in  his 
"Discussions."  Of  the  distinctive  principles  of  the 
Scottish  philosophy  and  the  errors  of  Hamilton  he 
says:  "Those  principles  constrained  his  adherence  by 
their  agreements,  in  his  judgment,  with  the  data  of 
consciousness  and  their  necessary  consequences,  with 
the  common  convictions  of  mankind,  and  with  the 
doctrines  of  divine  revelation.  But  although  consid- 
ered for  the  most  part  sound  and  superior  to  any  other 
system,  the  Scottish  philosophy  did  not  appear  to  be 
free  from  certain  grave  defects,  or  to  have  reached  the 
point  of  consummate  development.  This  seemed  to  be 
true,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  extraordinary 
learning  and  acumen  of  Sir  William  Hamilton  were 
employed  in  the  effort  to  bring  it  to  maturity.  Indeed, 
it  must  be  confessed  that  the  attempt  of  the  great 
philosopher  to  expand,  s^^stematise  and  perfect  it  was 
attended  with  certain  inconsistencies  of  statement  and 
questionable  doctrinal  utterances,  together  with  some 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  191 

ambiguity  in  his  positions,  which  resulted  unhappily. 
They  exposed  him  to  the  unfriendly  criticism  of  his 
associationalist  opponent,  John  Stuart  Mill,  gave  some 
plausibility  to  the  claim  of  Herbert  Spencer  that  his 
agnosticism  is  justified  by  Hamilton's  doctrine  touch- 
ing the  knowledge  of  the  Infinite,  and  — 'most  unkind- 
est  cut  of  air — induced  some  of  the  supporters  of  the 
Scottish  philosophy  to  impute  to  him  the  maintenance 
of  the  utter  incognoscibility  of  God,  and  the  atheistic 
tendencies  of  that  view."  Taking  this  view  of  the  situ- 
ation, it  was  the  noble  aim  of  the  author  to  "bring  the 
system  into  harmony  with  itself" — and  to  assist  in 
advancing  the  Scottish  philosophy  towards  a  com- 
pleter and  more  definite  development."  It  is  probable 
that  these  discussions  ranged  above  the  average  capacity 
of  the  students  who  heard  them.  There  can  be  no 
question,  however,  as  to  the  ability  with  which  they 
are  conducted  or  of  their  value  to  maturer  minds 
among  the  ministers  and  intelligent  laymen  of  the 
Church.  All  that  can  be  attempted  here  is  a  glance  at 
a  few  of  the  points  in  which  the  author  differs  from 
Hamilton.  And  this  not  so  much  for  the  psychologi- 
cal value  of  the  changes,  as  for  their  influence  on 
theology. 

First,  the  author  differs  in  some  important  particu- 
lars from  Hamilton's  classification  of  the  cognitive 
powers.  We  wish  to  notice  briefly  one  of  these  varia- 
tions. Under  the  head  of  "Faculties  of  Mediate 
Knowledge"  he  puts  down  three — Representative  Fac- 
ulty ;  Thinking  Faculty ;  Believing  Faculty.  These  give, 
respectively.  Representative  Knowledge ;  Thought- 
Knowledge;  Faith-Knowledge.  In  other  words,  the 
Representative  Faculty  yields  knowledge,  and  so  do 
the  Thinking  and  the  Believing  Faculties.     Faith  is 


192  The  Life  Work  of 

as  truly  a  source  of  knowledge  as  reason.  There  is  a 
valid  distinction  between  mediate  and  immediate 
knowledge,  but  none  whatever  between  faith  and 
knowledge.  Knowledge  is  the  genuine  result  of  all  the 
cognitive  faculties.  The  contrast  to  faith  is  not  knowl- 
edge, but  cognition.  We  know,  it  is  true,  only  what 
stands  in  relation  to  the  mind,  but  there  are  several 
ways  in  which  this  relation  may  be  established.  Sense- 
perception  or  memory  or  reflection  may  bring  an  object 
before  the  mind;  but  so  also  may  the  report  or  testi- 
mony of  other  persons.  The  old  distinction  that  we 
know  what  is  present  while  we  believe  the  unseen  may 
mislead  us.  The  Bible  makes  faith  a  source  of  knowl- 
edge. The  author  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  says: 
"Through  faith  we  understand  that  the  worlds  were 
framed  by  the  Word  of  God,  so  that  things  w^hich  are 
seen  were  not  made  of  things  which  do  appear."  Our 
Saviour  says:  "This  is  eternal  life  to  know  thee,  the 
only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent." 
Faith  being  a  source  of  knowledge,  our  author  pro- 
ceeds to  discuss  the  question,  "Have  we  a  valid  knowl- 
edge of  the  Infinite  Being?"  This  he  tests  both  in  the 
sphere  of  natural  and  supernatural  revelation.  The 
conclusion  reached  is  that  in  neither  sphere  is  a  knowl- 
edge of  God  as  Infinite  attained  by  the  cognitive 
reason.  Must  we,  therefore,  abandon  hope  of  reaching 
such  knowledge  ?  By  no  means.  In  all  our  knowledge 
there  are  two  elements,  one  of  which  addresses  itself 
to  the  cognitive  powers,  the  other  to  the  believing  fac- 
ulty. It  is  the  joint  operation  of  these  two  classes  of 
faculties  that  gives  the  full  result.  We  know  sub- 
stance; only,  however,  as  it  is  manifested  through  its 
properties.  When  the  phenomena  are  apprehended  by 
the   faculties  of  cognition,  the  existence   of  the  sub- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  193 

stance  becomes  known  by  an  immediate  and  necessary 
act  of  faith.  In  like  manner,  when  the  world  is  appre- 
hended as  contingent,  the  believing  faculty,  under  the 
law  of  the  causal  judgment,  infers  a  self-existent 
Creator.  And  the  process  is  the  same  in  the  sphere  of 
Supernatural  Revelation,  the  necessary  conditions 
being  famished  by  the  life-giving  energy  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Man  was  made  to  know  God.  There  is  in 
every  soul  of  man  a  fundamental  faith  which  adapts 
it  to  the  knoAvledge  of  the  Infinite  Being.  This  propo- 
sition will  bear  the  test  of  all  the  criteria  by  which 
fundamental  beliefs  are  discriminated.  And  Avhen  this 
native  faith  is  developed  by  a  cognitive  experience,  it 
gives  valid  knowledge  of  the  Infinite  God. 

Still  another  question  in  this  connection  is  raised  by 
the  author.  Granting  that  we  have  a  valid  knowledge 
of  the  Infinite  God,  he  goes  on  to  inquire,  "Is  it  possi- 
ble for  the  reason  to  employ  it  as  an  element  in  the 
processes  of  science?"  The  significance  of  this  ques- 
tion will  be  recognized  at  once  by  all  who  have  refiected 
upon  the  difficulty  of  finding  a  satisfactory  definition 
of  theology,  or  of  allowing  to  it,  in  strictness  of  speech, 
the  character  of  a  science.  In  grappling  w^ith  this 
problem,  the  author  notices  first  that  we  may  define 
without  limiting.  For  instance,  unless  we  are  Pan- 
theists, we  must  distinguish  the  divine  substance  from 
all  created  substance.  And  yet  we  do  not  limit  it. 
Again,  Ave  distinguish  one  divine  attribute  from 
another,  but  do  not  limit  any  of  them.  Again  it  is 
admitted  that,  while  we  know  the  fact  of  God's  exist- 
ence, we  do  not  know  hoio  he  exists.  It  is  the  fact  that 
God  is  Infinite  that  w^e  know.  It  is  revealed  to  faith. 
"It  is  susceptible  to  affirmation  and  negation — ^may  be 
made  a  term  of  human  judgments.    In  like  manner,  a 


194  The  Life  Work  of 

divine  attribute  cannot  be  perfectly  comprehended  by 
us,  but  it  may  be  known  as  an  infinite  perfection  by 
faith;  and  as  known  may  be  made  the  subject  or  the 
predicate  of  a  proposition.  Cognition  may  furnish  one 
term  and  faith  the  other,  and  the  proposition  be  valid. 
For  example,  we  are  entitled  to  make  the  affirmation: 
the  justice  of  God  is  infinite.  Cognition  gives  justice 
a  particular  kind  of  perfection,  as  the  subject,  and 
faith  gives  the  term  infinite  as  predicable  of  justice. 
Here,  then,  we  have  an  infinite  element  as  a  valid  con- 
stituent of  a  premise,  and  as  other  premises  may  be 
construed  in  the  same  wa}^,  legitimate  conclusions  may 
be  drawn.  But  if  we  may  reason  about  the  Infinite 
and  from  the  infinite,  it  is  manifest  that  it  may  con- 
stitute a  valid  element  in  human  science  under  the 
limitations,  howcA^er,  which  have  been  pointed  out." 

We  pass  now  to  notice  his  criticism  of  Hamilton's 
doctrine  of  Causation.  The  importance  of  correct 
views  on  the  nature  of  cause  and  of  the  origin  of  the 
causal  judgment  cannot  be  exaggerated.  The  mind  is 
constructed  with  reference  to  knowledge  as  distinctly 
as  the  eye  is  to  sight.  Take  away  such  notions  as  those 
of  unity,  of  plurality,  of  differences,  of  identity,  of 
cause,  and  you  make  it  impossible  to  compare  our 
impressions  or  to  attain  the  conception  of  general  laws. 
KnoAv ledge  is  just  the  application  of  primitive  con- 
cepts of  the  understanding  to  the  material  furnished 
by  sense  or  consciousness.  In  this  way  we  know  the 
sensible  realities.  But  in  order  to  rise  above  the  sensi- 
ble the  mind  must  be  furnished  with  primitive  beliefs, 
as  well  as  original  concepts.  It  is  generally  recognized 
that  without  the  native  belief  that  every  effect  must 
have  an  adequate  cause  there  could  be  no  speculative 
knowledge  of  God.    But  the  play  of  this  principle  in 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  195 

the  sphere  of  revealed  religion  should  not  be  over- 
looked. What  is  the  Bible  but  an  effect  of  a  super- 
natural influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  exerted  on  certain 
men  who  were  of  God  to  be  his  organs  in  communi- 
cating his  mind  and  will  to  men?  And  what  is 
redemption  but  a  work  which  manifests  the  deity  of  its 
author?  Hume  recognized  the  importance  of  the  doc- 
trine of  causation.  He  seized  upon  the  prevalent  phil- 
osophy of  his  time  to  eliminate  from  the  idea  of  cause 
the  element  of  efficiency.  All  that  the  senses  can  per- 
ceive is  antecedence  and  sequence,  and  that  is  all  we 
can  know.  That  the  antecedent  produces  what  follows 
is  no  part  of  the  idea  of  cause.  Our  knowledge  in  the 
case  goes  no  further  than  our  experience.  The  causal 
judgment  is  a  fancy.  Kant  came  to  the  rescue,  but 
unfortunately,  while  he  vindicated  the  intuition  of  the 
mind,  he  made  the  particular  law  of  causation  entirely 
subjective.  It  regulates  the  order  of  our  thoughts,  but 
does  not  certify  that  things  exist  as  we  think  them. 
Hamilton  applied  his  doctrine  of  the  conditional  to  the 
case  and  reached  the  conclusion  that  the  causal  judg- 
ment is  not  the  result  of  a  positive  but  of  a  negative 
necessity  of  thought — that  it  is  not  the  native  product 
of  a  faculty  of  the  soul,  but  springs  from  a  native 
impotency.  We  wish  we  had  space  to  introduce  to  the 
readers  Dr.  Girardeau's  criticism  of  Hamilton's  errors 
both  as  to  the  nature  of  the  idea  of  cause  and  as  to  the 
origin  of  the  causal  judgment.  It  is  both  unfair  and 
unsatisfactory  to  cite  a  single  paragraph  from  a  long 
and  labored  discussion.  But  to  this  we  are  compelled 
for  want  of  space.  Hamilton's  position  is  that  the 
causal  judgment  lies  between  the  two  inconceivable 
and  contradictory  extremes  of  an  absolute  commence- 
ment or  an  infinite  series  of  relative  commencements. 


196  The  Life  Work  of 

Neither  is  conceivable,  and  hence  mental  impotency. 
But  as  contradictory,  one  or  the  other  must  be  true. 
Consciousness  decides  through  its  testimony  to  free 
acts  of  the  will  that  an  absolute  commencement  is  the 
true  extreme.  A  negative  judgment  of  the  mind  can- 
not counterbalance  the  express  affirmative  of  conscious- 
ness. We  know  that  we  are  the  responsible  authors  of 
our  actions.  The  following  quotation  will  intimate 
the  course  of  the  argument  in  refuting  Hamilton's  doc- 
trine: "If  these  things  be  so,  Hamilton's  argument 
against  the  view  that  the  law  of  causality  is  original 
and  underived  breaks  down.  The  argument  is  that 
nothing  is  to  be  assumed  as  an  original,  special  prin- 
ciple of  the  mind,  operating  by  a  positive  necessity, 
which  can  be  shown  to  result  from  a  mere  mental  pow- 
erlessness.  The  causal  judgment,  he  contends,  is  in  this 
category:  it  is  enforced  by  a  negative  necessity  occa- 
sioned by  an  inability  of  the  mind  to  conceive  the  con- 
trary. Hence  there  is  no  original,  fundamental  law, 
no  special  positive  principle  of  causality  in  the  mind. 
His  minor — namely,  that  the  causal  judgment  is 
derived  from  a  mental  impotence — has  been  shown  to 
be  inconclusive.  .  .  .  The  other  argument  of  Hamil- 
ton against  such  a  positive,  fundamental  law  of  belief 
also  gives  way — to  wit,  that,  as  consciousness  affirms 
the  fact  of  an  absolute  commencement,  it  contradicts 
the  hypothesis  of  an  original  law  which  demands  a 
cause  for  everything  which  begins  to  be ;  and  that  our 
nature  would  be  self-contradictory  and  mendacious  on 
the  supposition  of  the  existence  of  such  a  law  and  of 
the  testimony  of  consciousness  in  opposition  to  it ;  but 
we  have  seen  that  consciousness  makes  no  such  affirma- 
tion." 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  197 

The  last  contribution  to  philosophy  made  by  Dr. 
Girardeau,  which  we  will  notice,  is  his  treatise  on  "The 
Will  in  Its  Theological  Relation."  As  his  views  on 
this  subject  have  been  exposed  to  not  a  little  criticism, 
attention  should  be  called  to  the  fact  that  they  were 
not  hastily  adopted  by  him.  He  tells  us  in  the  preface 
to  the  volume  something  of  its  history.  In  the  year 
1849,  while  a  licensed  probationer  for  the  gospel  min- 
istry, a  sentence  in  a  sermon  in  pamphlet  form,  by  Dr. 
Thornwell,  suggested  to  his  mind  some  serious  ques- 
tions. Not  feeling  satisfied  with  the  solution  given  by 
Dr.  Thornwell  in  a  subsequent  interview,  he  worked 
out  his  own  answers,  but  did  not  obtrude  them  upon 
the  minds  of  others.  During  the  war  Jonathan 
Edwards'  "On  the  Will"  was  one  of  his  companions  in 
the  army  and  was  carefully  studied.  In  1871  the  first 
two  volumes  of  "Dr.  Thornwell's  Collected  Writings" 
were  issued,  and  about  the  same  time  the  "Systematic 
Theology"  of  Dr.  Charles  Hodge.  His  surprise  was 
great  to  find  himself  relieved  from  the  necessity  of 
being  cautious  in  the  expression  of  his  views  as  they 
seemed  after  all  to  be  taught  substantially  by  both  of 
these  masters  in  Israel.  "In  1877,  a  controversy  involv- 
ing the  theological  relations  of  the  will  occurred 
between  two  distinguished  combatants,  conducted  on 
the  one  side  in  the  Methodist  Quarterly  Review  and  on 
the  other  in  The  Southey^n  Preshyterian  Revieio.  In 
the  progress  and  results,  so  far  as  reached,  of  this 
debate  I  became  intensely  interested,  and  published 
two  articles  in  The  Southern  Presbyterian  Revieio  on 
the  subject  of  the  Freedom  of  the  Will  in  Its  Theo- 
logical Relations.  These  articles  were  challenged  and 
criticised  by  an  able  writer  in  the  pages  of  the  same 
Review.     This  led  to  the   addition  of  four  articles, 


198  The  Life  Work  of 

making  six  in  all,  which  were  published  in  The 
Revieio.  The  remaining  part  of  the  work  was  subse- 
quently written.'' 

The  Avork  treats  of  the  will  in  man's  four  different 
estates  of  innocency,  hereditary  sin,  grace  and  glory. 
It  is  not  necessary,  however,  to  follow  him  over  this 
broad  field.  AVhat  our  purpose  requires  is  simply  to 
collect  from  the  volume  what  is  peculiar  to  Dr.  Girar- 
deau's teaching.  And  the  task  is  still  further  shortened 
by  the  fact  that  the  whole  treatise  greAv  out  of  a  pain- 
ful conviction  of  the  author  that  the  doctrine  of  the 
will  taught  by  Jonathan  Edwards  fails  either  to 
ground  the  sense  of  human  guilt  or  to  acquit  God  of 
the  charge  of  being  the  author  of  sin.  For  this  reason 
he  regarded  it  as  an  insufficient  account  of  the  freedom 
of  the  will.  The  case,  as  Dr.  Girardeau  saw  it,  is  set 
forth  in  the  following  extracts:  "AVe  pass  on  to  show 
that  the  theory  of  Edwards,  either  as  held  by  himself 
or  as  modified  by  those  who  essentially  agree  Avith  it, 
fails  to  ground  the  sense  of  guilt  and  to  acquit  God  of 
the  chartje  of  beinff  the  author  of  sin,  and  is  therefore 
an  insufficient  account  of  the  freedom  of  the  will.  The 
point  in  Avhich  they  all  concur  is  the  denial  to  the  will 
of  any  self-determining  power,  that  is,  of  any  power 
to  originate  its  determination — of  any  real,  causal 
efficiency  in  itself,  and  the  affirmation  that  its  Abolitions 
are  efficiently  caused  by  the  sum  of  motiA^es  existing  in 
the  soul.  .  .  .  They  agree  in  affirming  moral  necessity 
of  all  the  acts  of  the  will,  that  is,  they  hold  that  the 
acts  of  the  will,  whateA'er  they  may  be,  are  unavoid- 
able. They  could  not  be  otherwise  than  they  are  in  any 
giA'en  case.  The  man  wills  freely,  but  he  cannot  will 
otherwise  than  he  does.  He  acts  in  accordance  with  a 
force  operating  invincibly  and  inevitably  through  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  199 

will  itself.     The  force  is  the  spontaneity  and  habitus 
of  the  man  himself.     He  always  acts  in  accordance 
with,  never  against  it.     The  law  which  the  adherents 
of  the  principle  of  determinism  coincide  in  announcing 
is :  As  is  the  moral  spontaneity  of  the  man,  so  must  be 
his  volitions — the  spontaneity  determines  the  will ;  the 
will  never  determines  the  spontaneity.     This  is  Ed- 
wards' moral  necessity,  a  necessity  not  imposed  in  the 
way  of  physical  constraint,  but  springing  from  the  dis- 
positions of  the  man  himself.     Now,  every  Calvinist 
must  admit  the  possible  co-existence  of  such  a  necessity 
with  the  highest  form  of  freedom.     They  concur  in 
God,  in  the  elect  angels,  and  in  glorified  men.     The 
only  question  is — and  it  is  of  the  utmost  consequence — 
Does  this  concurrence  take  place  in  every  supposable 
case?     Did  it  obtain  in  the  instance  of  the  non-elect 
angels  and  of  Adam  in  innocence?    We  do  not  object 
to  the  possible  concurrence  of  this  necessity  and  free- 
dom of  will.     We  admit  it  as  a  fact  in  some  actual 
instances.     We  deny  that  it  must  always  exist — that 
it  is  the  result  of  a  universal  and  invariable  law.  .   .   . 
Let  us  settle  our  view  of  this  concurrence  theory.     Its 
essence  is  that  the  will,  morally  considered,  has,  under 
no  conceivable  circumstances  or  relations,  any  power 
to  act  otherwise  than  in  conformity  to  the  moral  spon- 
taneity of  the  soul.    Its  freedom  consists  in  its  follow- 
ing the  law  of  the  spontaneity.     It  must  be  what  the 
spontaneity  is.     Now,  the   question   starts  up:   What 
determines  the  moral  sj)ontaneity  which  thus  deter- 
mines the  will?     What  is  its  origin?     What  is  the 
cause    which    produces    it?     For    we    are    agreed    in 
demanding  a  cause  for  every  effect.     It  will  not  do  to 
say,  it  is  sufficient  to  know  that  the  spontaneity  belongs 
to  the  man  himself,  and  in  acting  in  accordence  with 


200  The  Life  Work  of 

it,  he  is  only  expressing  himself.  That  ma}-  be  true, 
but  that  accounts  only  for  self-expression,  as  Dr. 
Thornwell  well  remarks,  and  not  for  self-determina- 
tion. HoAv  comes  the  man  to  be  conditioned  thus  and 
so?  Did  he  have  any  voluntary  agency  in  inducing 
that  moral  type  of  being  which  now  characterises  him 
beyond  his  power  to  change  it,  or  did  he  not?  If  he 
did  not,  he  only  develops  his  natural  constitution  when 
he  sins.  Not  to  sin  would  be  to  violate  the  original 
laws  of  his  being.  It  can  not  be  conceived  that  he 
would  be  more  to  blame  than  is  a  poisonous  plant  in 
producing  poisonous  fruits  in  accordance  with  the  law 
of  its  nature.  If  he  did,  then  he  must  have  done  so 
by  a  self-determination  of  the  will,  that  is,  a  determi- 
nation uncaused  by  a  preceding  moral  spontaneity; 
for,  upon  the  supposition,  he  determined  the  spon- 
taneity and  was  not  determined  by  it.  .  .  .  And  the 
question  resolves  itself  into  this :  Did  Adam,  by  a  free 
self-decision  which  might  have  been  avoided,  deter- 
mine himself  in  the  direction  of  sin?  Here  the  issue 
is  to  be  joined.  This  is  the  real  place  at  which  the 
discussion  of  the  self-determining  power  of  the  will 
must  be  had.  It  is  idle  to  transfer  the  question  to  the 
will  in  its  present  sinful  condition.  It  is  the  case  of 
Adam  which  is  critical,  typical,  controlling.  .  .  .  The 
question  before  us,  then,  is  did  Adam,  in  the  commis- 
sion of  the  first  sin,  act  from  necessity — that  is,  was  his 
first  sin  unavoidable?  or  did  he  commit  it  by  an  unne- 
cessitated  and  avoidable  decision  of  his  will?  Now, 
either  he  was  in  some  sense  necessitated  to  the  com- 
mission of  the  sin,  or  he  was  not.  If  he  was,  then  God 
must  have  been  the  author  of  the  necessity." 

In  a  word,  Dr.  Girardeau  demands  for  the  will,  in 
the   case   of   an   innocent   creature   on   probation,   the 


JoHX  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  201 

power  of  contrary  choice.  He  thinks  the  angels  that 
kept  not  their  first  estate  must  have  possessed  it;  and 
that  Adam,  when  he  was  on  trial  for  himself  and  his 
natural  posterity,  must  have  been  endowed  with  such 
a  power.  He  would  not  say  that  the  sin  of  Adam  and 
his  fall  were  uncertain  events,  but  he  would  say  that 
they  mioht  have  been  avoided.  Still  further  Dr.  Girar- 
deau holds  that  we  are  bound  to  conform  our  view  of 
the  constitution  and  working  of  Adam's  soul  in  inno- 
cence to  the  requirements  of  the  revealed  facts  of 
imputed  guilt  and  the  impossibility  of  God's  causal 
agency  in  the  fall.  A  psychology  built  on  the  testi- 
mony of  the  consciousness  of  fallen  man  cannot  be 
transferred  to  him  while  undergoing  probation.  "The 
undoubted  principles  of  a  correct  theology  must  be 
held  to  be  regulative  of  the  conclusions  which  flow 
from  a  merely  philosophical  process,  so  far  as  com- 
mon ground  has  been  occupied." 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  a  strong  and  earnest 
mind,  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  principles  of  the 
Federal  theology,  would  have  reached  conclusions  so 
different  from  those  of  contemporary  Calvinistic 
writers  if  there  had  been  entire  agreement  as  to  the 
question  under  discussion  and  in  the  use  of  terms.  Jus- 
tice requires  that  Dr.  Girardeau  be  allowed  to  make 
his  own  statement  of  the  question,  and  to  define  his 
use  of  terms.  We  refer  the  reader  to  his  treatise  for 
the  larger  portion  of  the  statement,  having  room  only 
for  two  of  the  more  important  particulars  covered 
by  it. 

In  stating  the  question  at  issue  Dr.  Girardeau  uses 
the  following  words:  "An  illegitimate  distinction  is 
made  between  the  man  and  the  will.  What  is  the  will, 
but  a  power  of  the  man?     If,  therefore,  the  man  is 


202  The  Life  Work  of 

free,  his  will  is  free;  else  the  unity  of  the  soul  is 
destroyed.  And  this  becomes  the  more  glaringly  inad- 
missible when,  in  consequence  of  this  unnatural  schism, 
freedom  is  denied  to  the  faculty  which  is  by  eminence 
that  of  action,  and  restricted  to  those  which  are  only 
active  in  a  limited  degree.  .  .  .  The  question  which 
it  is  proposed  now  to  consider  is  not.  whether  the  soul 
may  be  free,  while  the  will  is  not,  but  whether  the 
soul  is  free  in  willing — that  is,  whether  the  will  is 
free."  Let  us  now  introduce  the  statement  of  another 
author,  and  we  will  see  how  wide  apart  they  are  at  the 
beginning  of  the  discussion.  He  says:  "Another 
ambiguity  still  more  mischievous  is  found  in  the  cur- 
rent phrase,  'the  freedom  of  the  will.'  Locke  has  very 
clearly  raised  the  question  of  the  propriety  of  the 
phrase,  by  asking  whether  fredom  or  liberty  is  not 
always  thought  as  the  attribute  of  a  personal  agent, 
and  not  of  a  faculty  or  power.  This  question  discloses 
the  confusion  of  the  statement.  It  is  the  human  spirit 
which  is  free  in  all  its  responsible  volitions,  and  not 
the  faculty  of  the  will.  Were  freedom  ascribed  to  any 
other  faculty  or  power  of  the  spirit,  the  absurdity 
would  be  at  once  apparent." 

Dr.  Girardeau  raises  the  question,  ''What  is  the  rela- 
tion which  the  Will  sustains  to  the  other  powers?" 
To  this  perhaps  most  followers  of  the  general  theory 
of  Edwards  would  say :  The  human  spirit  is  subject  to 
laws  of  action  regulative  of  its  faculties  in  their  freest 
processes.  In  order  to  the  rise  of  a  volition  there 
must  be  an  object  presented  to  the  intelligence  of  the 
spirit  which  chooses.  The  object  must  be  seen  by  the 
mind  not  only  as  attainable  but  also  as  good.  And 
Avhether  the  object  will  appear  desirable  or  good  will 
depend  upon  the  disposition  of  the  man.     Dr.  Girar- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  203 

dean  would  answer  as  follows:  "We  would  express 
it  (the  relation)  as  that  of  elective  obedience.  It  fur- 
nishes no  laws  or  regulative  standards  of  action.  These 
are  given  by  the  other  faculties,  and  it  is  its  province, 
by  its  choice,  to  comply  with  them.  ...  It  is  its 
peculiar  office — and  it  has  a  mysterious  power  to  per- 
form it — to  choose  the  suggestions  of  the  other  facul- 
ties, to  assimilate  them  into  its  own  nature  and  to 
make  them  the  proximate  inducements  to  personal 
action.  ...  In  discharging  this  office,  the  will  estab- 
lishes a  spontaneous  hahitus  of  its  own,  an  inclination, 
appetency,  nisus  toward  the  doing  of  those  things,  the 
attainment  of  those  ends,  to  which  it  had  received 
direction  from  the  other  faculties." 

We  have  now  said  all  that  seems  to  us  necessary  in 
order  to  enable  the  reader  to  fix  Dr.  Girardeau's  rela- 
tive position  as  a  teacher  of  theolog}^  and  of  philoso- 
phy. The  work  was  undertaken  at  the  earnest  request 
of  the  family,  and  it  has  been  to  me  a  labor  of  love.  I 
greatly  preferred  that  it  should  be  entrusted  to  some 
one  of  Dr.  Girardeau's  own  students,  who  would  be 
better  qualified  to  do  it  creditably.  But  I  am  not  sorry 
to  have  an  opportunity  to  give  some  slight  manifesta- 
tion of  regard  for  one  who  was  so  kind  and  so  helpful 
to  me  at  the  beginning  of  my  work  as  his  successor  in 
office. 

Two  estimates  of  Dr.  Girardeau  as  a  teacher  and 
as  a  member  of  the  Thursday  Afternoon  Conferences, 
furnished  at  my  request,  will  close  this  sketch.  The 
first  is  by  Eev.  Thomas  P.  Hay,  D.  D. : 

"I  entered  the  junior  class  in  the  Seminary  about  a 
month  before  Dr.  Girardeau  entered  the  institution 
as  Professor  of  Theology.     And  it  was  my  privilege 


204  The  Life  Work  of 

to  be  his  scholar  during  the  period  of  his  transition 
from  the  eloquent  pulpit  orator  to  the  professor  and 
teacher.  He  impressed  and  greatly  helped  me  by  his 
gift  of  analysis  and  of  clarifying  things  by  making 
distinctions,  and  of  logical  development  of  thought; 
and  by  the  hapjoy  faculty  of  fixing  thought  and  truth, 
thus  elucidated  by  the  illustrations  of  his  imagination 
and  the  charms  of  his  eloquence. 

"Dr.  Girardeau  required  his  students  to  write  out 
from  memory  an  analysis  of  his  lectures,  or  a  recapitu- 
lation of  the  portion  of  a  text-book  gone  over  in  a 
recitation,  embodying  am^  criticism  he  made  on  the 
author's  statements.  One  of  these  analyses  would  be 
read  and  criticized  by  the  professor  at  the  beginning 
of  the  next  class-hour.  By  this  exercise  I  learned  to 
preach  without  any  notes  in  six  months'  time ;  and  the 
l^rofessor's  system  of  theology  took  full  hold  on  my 
understanding  and  memory.  I  could  recall  his  argu- 
ments and  reasonings  on  all  theological  questions 
raised,  and  even  his  personal  opinions  on  matters  on 
which  Calvinists  differed.  I  have  often  said  that,  next 
to  my  revered  father,  I  owed  more  to  Dr.  Girardeau 
than  any  other  man;  and  this  was  due  to  the  above 
characteristics.  He  certainly  taught  me  theology, 
established  my  convictions  in  the  truth  of  the  Calvin- 
istic  system  and  trained  my  mind. 

"Let  me  add  to  this  my  impression  of  his  kindliness 
to  his  students  and  his  sympathy  and  readiness  to  come 
down  to  the  student's  ground  and  point  of  view.  He 
reasoned  and  argued  as  an  equal ;  so  that  a  young  man 
was  not  afraid  to  raise  his  questions  and  difficulties, 
and  felt  free  to  differ  with  him  and  argue  out  his  own 
contention. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  205 

"He  impressed  me  in  the  Conferences  very  much,  as 
doubtless  he  did  the  congregations  whom  he  served  as 
pastor.  He  was  spiritual,  edifying,  earnest,  eloquent 
and  loving." 

The  second  is  from  Eev.  B.  P.  Reid: 

"Students  under  Dr.  Girardeau  got  a  great  deal 
more  from  him  than  a  mere  knowledge  of  the  truths 
he  taught.  This  is  useful  enough  as  far  as  it  goes,  and 
is  about  all  that  is  to  be  gathered  from  many  teachers 
reputed  to  be  great.  But  there  ought  to  be  more  in 
every  teachei'  than  his  mere  mental  machinery.  Won- 
derful as  was  Dr.  Girardeau's  mental  power,  there  was 
something  in  him  far  beyond  this,  because,  under  him, 
we  got  an  impression  of  a  man  which  lingers  with  us 
as  an  inspiration  in  life. 

"Who  could  fail  to  be  impressed  with  his  devotion 
to  truth  which  amounted  to  an  absorbing  passion  with 
his  soul?  The  very  intensity  of  his  love  of  it  made 
him  so  quick  and  positive  in  the  expressions  of  his 
conviction  of  it,  as  to  cause  some  to  suspect  him  of  a 
lack  of  charity  to  those  opposed  to  his  view,  which 
was  far  from  being  true.  When  he  discussed  the  great 
doctrines  of  theology  who  could  fail  to  be  touched  by 
his  evident  feeling  of  awe  in  the  presence  of  these 
great  facts  about  God,  and  who  could  escape  the  con- 
viction that  his  soul  saw  reaches  not  perceived  by  the 
ordinary  mind  ? 

"Eloquence  and  wit,  both  natural  to  him,  enlivened 
all  his  class-room  lectures  and  talk.  Never  have  we 
heard  anywhere  his  equal  in  the  power  of  apt  and 
original  illustration  drawn  from  Scripture  incident, 
and  of  clothing  great  thoughts  easily  and  rapidly  in 
their  appropriate  garments  of  words. 


206  The  Life  Work  of 

"We  admired,  necessarily,  Dr.  Girardeau's  great 
power  as  class-room  lecturer  and  preacher,  and  we 
loved  him  for  his  sympathy.  This  Avas  so  deep  and 
so  pure  as  to  lead  him  to  be  absolutely  forgetful  of 
himself  in  the  use  of  all  that  he  had.  His  evident  joy 
in  the  opportunity  to  help,  whether  with  instruction, 
advice,  or  money,  is  something  long  to  be  remembered 
by  those  under  him.  The  wa}^  in  which  he  followed 
us  out  into  life  with  a  kindly  interest  which  grew  with 
the  years,  showed  that  his  sympathy  w-as  no  passing 
emotion,  but  belonged  to  the  very  composition  of  his 
being.  To  this  hour  I  can  not  recall,  without  emotion, 
the  last  time  I  remember  seeing  him  when  he  called 
me  to  him  across  the  crowded  street  of  the  city  with 
all  the  joy  of  youth  in  his  voice  over  the  sight  of  a 
friend.  He  ofttimes  refreshed  and  encouraged  us 
with  his  s}  mpathy  in  life,  and  this  made  it  especially 
hard  when  we  had  to  be  told  that  the  hour  of  his 
departure  was  at  hand." 

Upon  his  resignation  the  following  paper  was  unani- 
mously adopted: 

"In  accepting  the  resignation  of  Dr.  John  L.  Girardeau.  L.L.  D., 
as  Professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  Columbia  Theological  Seminary  would  note  the 
fact  that  this  action  on  our  part  has  been  taken  most  reluct- 
antly, and  not  until  we  had  used  every  effort  to  induce  him  to 
continue  his  connection  with  us,  and  had  been  assured  by  him 
that  this  action  on  his  part  was  final,  and  that  his  connection 
with  the  faculty  must  close  with  the  present  term. 

"The  Board  takes  this  occasion  to  express  its  grateful  appre- 
ciation of  the  valuable  services  he  has,  through  these  many 
years,  rendered  to  this  institution.  He  has  given  to  us  the 
best  of  his  life,  and  has  favored  our  students  with  his  splendid 
abilities.    As  an  active  worker  he  goes  out  from  our  halls,  but 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  207 

his  memory,  a  precious  legacy,  shall  remain  in  our  minds,  and 
our  affection  for  him  shall  never  go  out  of  our  hearts. 

"As  for  his  work,  it  has  been  wrought  out  of  and  upon  mate- 
rial that  is  immortal,  and  will  forever  abide  a  splendid  monu- 
ment to  the  honor  and  glory  of  Him  he  so  faithfully  followed 
and  so  devotedly  served." 

The  following  resolutions  were  adopted  by  the  fac- 
ulty of  the  Seminary: 

"In  view  of  the  retirement  of  Rev.  J.  L.  Girardeau,  D.  1)., 
L.L.  D.,  the  faculty  wish  to  place  on  record  their  sincere  regret 
at  the  dissolution  of  his  relation  to  the  Seminary,  in  which  lio 
has  so  long  been  an  honored  professor. 

"1.  Resolved,  That  we  hereby  express  our  appreciation  of  his 
talents,  scholarship,  eloquence,  piety  and  loyalty  to  the  truth, 
which  have  made  him  the  peer  of  the  great  theologians  nnd 
preachers  of  the  country  and  century. 

"2.  Resolved,  That  as  a  member  of  the  faculty,  he  was  wise 
in  counsel,  courtly  in  his  bearing,  kind  and  considerate  towards 
his  co-professors,  while  firm  and  decided  in  his  convictions. 

"3.  Resolved,  further,  That  the  prayers  of  the  faculty  shall 
follow  him  while  we  indulge  the  hope  that  he  may  yet  be 
spared  for  many  years  of  usefulness  in  the  Church. 

"4.  Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  published  in  the 
papers  of  our  Church  and  in  those  of  the  city,  and  that  the 
clerk  is  directed  to  furnish  Dr.  Girardeau  a  copy  of  the  same." 

NOTE. 

The  editor  has  added  Dr.  Girardeau's  inaugural 
address  to  Dr.  Hall's  article  as  an  appendix.  It  should 
have  appeared  in  the  "Discussion  of  Theological  Ques- 
tions," but  was  omitted  by  a  mistake.  The  editor  is 
especially  anxious  to  preserve  it,  as  Dr.  Girardeau  was 
accustomed  to  say  of  it,  "This  is  about  the  length  of  my 
tether." 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE   PRESBYTER 

By  R.  A.  Webb,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

•J  Dr.  Girardeau  was  first  of  all  a  Christian.  His  piety 
was  intellectual,  bottoming  itself  upon  the  profound 
and  steady  convictions  of  his  great  mind.  It  was  fer- 
vent, drawing  upon  all  the  strong  emotions  of  his  sen- 
sitive heart.  It  was  ethical,  involving  his  conscience  in 
the  deepest  sense  of  sin,  and  making  duty  stand  above 
him  as  an  imperial  master.  It  laid  its  hand  upon  his 
will,  carrying  him  fearlessly  to  his  tasks,  and  into  con- 
troversies which  were  painful  to  his  spirit.  He  was 
above  all  a  devout  man. 

.Next  to  his  piety  he  was  a  preacher.  Among  others, 
he  stood  par  excellence.  Reasoning  and  rhetoric, 
physique  and  presence,  voice  and  vocalization,  gesture 
and  grace,  all  waited  upon  his  command.  His  pulpit 
eloquence  was  not  like  the  gradual  ascent  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  by  one  long,  splendid,  continuous  climb; 
there  were  a  succession  of  climatic  flights  in  each  ser- 
mon, like  the  undulating  beauty  of  the  picturesque 
Blue  Ridge. 

The  story  of  his  sermon  on  "The  Last  Judgment" 
illustrates  his  reputation  and  popularity  as  a  preacher. 
He  prepared  this  sermon  while  a  student  in  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  It  became  very  popular,  and  con- 
gregations frequently  called  for  it.  Once,  after  he  had 
become  a  professor  in  the  Seminary,  the  Legislature 
of  South  Carolina  requested  him  to  preach  it.  He  did 
so  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Columbia.     A 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  209 

great  congregation  was  present,  crowding  both  the 
floor  and  galleries,  which  were  then  on  three  sides  of 
the  building.  The  preacher  was  fully  up  to  himself,  in 
voice,  gesture  and  spirit.  Contrary  to  his  general  cus- 
tom, he  delivered  it  from  the  manuscript.  It  was  an 
hour  and  a  half  long.  Attention  was  tense  from  the 
first.  But  when  the  flute-like  voice  rose  to  its  best,  rein- 
forced by  the  silent  language  of  gesture  and  face,  many 
of  the  hearers  stretched  themselves  forward  as  far  as 
they  could  reach.  Tears  poured  down  cheeks  and  spit- 
tle fell  from  relaxed  mouths.  When  the  preacher's 
voice  hushed  the  multitude  fell  back  into  position  with 
an  audible  heave,  which  sounded  as  if  it  had  come 
simultaneously  from  every  breast. 

Then  he  was  a  philosopher^  whose  mind  roamed,  with 
intoxicating  delight,  the  raised  fields  of  loftiest  specu- 
lation, but  always  settled  down  at  the  footstool  of  Con- 
sciousness and  Common  Sense. 

He  was  next  a  theologian,  interpreting  the  facts  of 
the  Bible  into  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  Faith,  then 
organizing  them  into  a  system  which  satisfied  his  loy- 
alty to  both  Revelation  and  Reason. 

But,  in  his  many-sidedness,  he  was  also  a  presbyter 
of  the  first  rank.  He  loved  the  Christian  Life,  the 
Christian  Faith,  and  the  Christian  Philosophy,  and  the 
Christian  Order  also.  In  his  estimation,  Church  Polity 
took  not  an  unimportant,  but  only  a  lesser,  rank  than 
Doctrine.  He  thought  much  upon  this  topic,  and  read 
widely  in  this  department.  He  was  an  ecclesiastical 
statesman,  and  a  skilful  practitioner  in  the  courts  of 
his  Church. 

He  believed  that  the  Church  ivas  a  divine  institution 
and  not  a  human  organization.  Its  constitution  and 
powers,  its  officers  and  agencies,  were  all  indicated  in 


210  The  Life  Work  of 

the  Scriptures.  He  held  tenaciously  to  the  principle, 
"Whatsoever  is  not  commanded  is  forbidden."  He 
applied  it  in  the  realm  of  doctrine,  discipline  and  wor- 
ship. It  was  the  only  one  which  would  safely  protect 
the  conscience,  and  insure  religious  liberty  for  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Church.  (He  always  resisted  any  proposi- 
tion, policy,  or  custom  which  he  thought  logically 
infringed  this  fundamental  tenet.  With  him  it  was 
regulative,  and  all-controlling.  He  denied  that  volun- 
tarism which  phrased  itself,  "Whatsoever  is  not  forbid- 
den is  permitted."  The  Church  was  a  divine  organi- 
zation, with  a  divine  constitution,  and  all  ecclesiastical 
action  must  be  remorselessly  ruled  by  the  proposition 
that  whatsoever  is  not  commanded,  either  explicitly  or 
implicitly,  in  Scripture  is  unlawful  and  forbidden. 
The  Church  has  no  discretionary  power.  None  in  its 
didactic,  in  its  diacritic,  nor  in  its  diatactic  spheres. 
Both  its  ecclesiology  and  its  practice  must  be  wholly 
biblical.  He  had  not  the  least  bit  of  sympathy  with 
voluntarism  in  any  of  its  forms  or  applications. 

Yet,  while  holding  this  high  doctrine  of  the  nature, 
organization  and  authority  of  the  Church,  Dr.  Girar- 
deau was  not  a  High  Churchman.  He  believed  in  the 
fallibility  of  all  synods  and  councils.  Their  decrees 
were  of  force  only  when  consonant  with  the  Word  of 
God.  Then  they  were  binding,  not  because  they  were 
ecclesiastical,  but  because  they  were  biblical.  As  eccles- 
iastical, they  were  venerable  presumptions,  but  they 
must  be  sanctioned  by  Scripture  to  bind  the  conscience 
and  conduct.  The  Church  was  not  a  source  of  author- 
ity. It  was  but  an  organ  for  expressing  the  authority 
of  God  to  the  world.  Hence  all  its  decisions  must  be 
biblical  to  be  binding. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  211 

He  passionately  believed  in  the  spirituality  of  the 
Church.  He  thought  its  sphere  was  defined  by  the 
Scriptures,  even  as  were  its  powers.  Church  and  State 
were  separated  by  the  ordinance  of  God.  Each  was  a 
trespasser  when  it  obtruded  into  the  realm  of  the 
other.  Synods  and  councils  could  handle  nothing  but 
biblical  matters.  Political,  social,  economic  topics  lay 
entirely  outside  its  charter.  The  Church  must  protect, 
as  well  as  sanction,  the  human  conscience.  He  was  hos- 
tile to  Komanism  and  all  prelatical  tendencies  to  put 
the  Church  over  the  State.  He  was  just  as  stoutly 
opposed  to  all  forms  of  an  Erastianism,  which  would 
subordinate  the  Church  to  the  State.  They  were  not 
intersecting  circles.  The  Church  was  limited  to  the 
religion  of  the  Bible,  and  all  its  powers,  when  acting 
upon  purely  biblical  subjects,  were  only  ministerial  and 
declarative.  She  has  no  right  to  inflict  any  physical 
penalties  of  any  kind  whatsoever.  Hence,  when  the 
General  Assembly  of  his  Church  in  1861  laid  down  a 
political  policy  and  prescribed  a  political  programme, 
he  joined  the  party  of  Southern  resistants  and  found 
himself  one  of  the  founders  and  fathers  of  his  denomi- 
nation. To  the  day  of  his  death  he  held  this  doctrine 
of  the  spirituality  of  the  Church,  and  in  its  interest 
resisted  all  efforts  at  organic  union  with  the  Northern 
body,  which  he  felt  had  offended  against  it,  and  had 
never  adequately  repented  of  doing  so. 

Dr.  Girardeau  was  a  jure  divino  Presbyterian.  He 
was  no  opportunist.  He  did  not  believe  that  the  Scrip- 
tures were  non-committal  on  the  form  of  church  gov- 
ernment, leaving  the  whole  matter  to  the  discretion^of 
each  body  of  believers.  He  believed  a  pattern  had  been 
shown  in  the  Mount,  and  that  that  pattern  was  Presby- 
terianism. 


212  The  Life  Work  of 

His  Presbyter ianism  was  not  a  mere  inheritance.  It 
was  not  the  expediential  product  of  his  environment. 
He  was  born  in  a  community  where  both  prelacy  and 
independency  were  influential.  His  ecclesiology  was 
the  product  of  wide  reading  and  much  reflection.  He 
earnestly  investigated  Popery  and  Prelacy,  Congrega- 
tionalism and  Independency.  I  have  not  infrequently 
heard  him  say  that  it  was  easy  for  him  to  see  the 
unscripturalness  of  Popery  and  Prelacy,  and  also  Con- 
gregationalism in  its  pure  and  unmodified  forms;  but 
that  it  was  not  so  clear  to  him,  in  his  early  ministry, 
that  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church  was  not  the 
New  Testament  ideal.  There  was  the  Church  at  Jeru- 
salem, and  the  Church  at  Antioch,  and  the  Church  at 
Corinth,  and  at  other  places.  Each  was  Presbyterian 
in  its  form,  but  was  there  a  Presbytery  binding  them 
into  an  organic  union  with  each  other?  This  was  not 
so  obvious.  By  and  by  he  came  to  see  that  there  were 
not  only  "churches,"  but  a  "Church,"  of  which  they 
were  units.  Then  as  each  of  the  "churches"  were  Pres- 
byterian, by  good  and  necessary  inference  the  "Church" 
over  all  must  be  Presbyterian.  It  was  then  easy  for 
him  to  see  the  logicalness  of  appljdng  the  presbyterial 
idea  to  the  formation  of  "sessions,"  "i^resbyteries," 
"synods,"  and  "assemblies."  And  sometimes  he  talked 
fascinatingly  and  enthusiastically  about  Thornwell's 
dream  of  a  "Presbyterian  Parliament  of  the  World." 
Yet  he  opposed  the  formation  of  "The  Pan-Presbyte- 
rian Alliance"  on  expediential  grounds. 

While  Dr.  Girardeau  was  thus  soundly  convinced 
that  the  biblical  form  of  church  government  was  Pres- 
byterian, he  was  not  bigoted  and  exclusive.  His  evan- 
gelical spirit  made  him  fraternize,  with  all  big-hearted- 
ness,  with  all  evangelical  denominations.     He  used  to 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  213 

tell  the  story  that  once  his  beloved  brother  and  friend, 
Dr.  Gadsden,  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  said  to  him, 
"Girardeau,  the  older  I  get  the  less  denominational  I 
become."  Dr.  Girardeau  replied,  "Gadsden,  the  older 
I  get  the  more  denominational  I  become."  Dr.  Gads- 
den answered,  "Your  statement  is  surprising;  I  thought 
you  were  growing  in  grace."  Dr.  Girardeau  replied, 
"My  denominational  creed  teaches  me  that  there  are 
other  sheep  not  of  the  Presbyterian  fold ;  and  the  older 
I  get  the  more  heartily  do  I  believe  it ;  hence,  as  I  grow 
in  grace  I  am  growing  in  denominationalism." 

The  story  illustrates  that  he  w\as  a  convinced  Presby- 
terian, a  loyal  and  devoted  lover  of  his  denomination, 
but  unbigoted  and  catholic  in  his  spirit  towards  all  the 
evangelical  denominations.  At  the  same  time  he  was 
unfraternal  and  uncompromising  towards  those  who 
denied  essential  doctrines  of  the  Christian  Faith.  For 
example,  he  was  intolerant  of  Papists  and  Unitarians. 

He  was  faithful  in  his  attendance  upon  the  church 
courts.  He  almost  invariably  participated  in  their 
deliberations.  In  his  discussions  he  would  illuminate 
principles,  draw  distinctions,  extricate  the  proposition 
from  confusion,  set  it  out  clearly,  and  then  advocate  it 
or  opi^ose  it,  with  a  logic  that  was  generally  convincing, 
and  with  an  eloquence  that  was  always  charming.  He 
kept  a  watchful  eye  upon  all  policies  that  were  pro- 
posed, and  when  their  subject-matter  was  serious,  he 
took  a  hand  in  their  consideration.  When  he  offered  a 
report  he  generally  sustained  it  with  a  speech  that 
appealed  to  the  reason  and  the  heart  of  the  members. 
Many  of  his  finest  arguments  and  most  thrilling 
declamations  were  on  questions  where  opinion  was  not 
divided.  It  was  always  an  object  with  him  to  clear  the 
minds  and  stimulate  the  interest  and  arouse  the  zeal 


214  The  Life  Work  of 

of  his  fellow-presbyters.  When  an  issue  was  joined 
with  him  he  was  always  a  courteous  debater,  never 
indulging  in  flings,  almost  never  personal,  argumenta- 
tive and  fair.  He  never  dignified  trivialities.  He  never 
wrangled  for  victory.  Meetings  rarely  broke  with  a 
sting  which  he  had  caused.  It  was  his  habit  to  fore- 
cast, as  far  as  he  could,  the  matter  which  would  come 
before  the  body,  and  then  carefully  prepare  himself  for 
its  discussion.  He  made  a  rule  early  in  his  ministry  to 
go  to  the  meetings  of  the  judicatories  of  his  Church 
with  at  least  one  topic  carefully  considered,  and  laid 
out  in  an  orderly  manner  in  his  mind.  Many  of  the 
brethren  went  to  the  Presbytery  in  the  hope  of  hearing 
a  speech  from  him.  It  was  always  a  treat  and  an  edifi- 
cation when  he  took  the  floor  on  any  matter. 

He  despised  every  species  of  i3oliticating  in  the 
church  courts.  He  never  sought  his  ends  by  indirec- 
tion, arts,  or  tricks.  Open  in  all  his  views,  transparent 
in  all  his  methods,  he  scorned  to  take  "the  under  hold." 
'^Brave  and  honest,  he  relied  upon  truth  and  fact.  Gen- 
erous, he  confessed  when  defeated,  and  acknowledged 
when  a  point  was  made  against  him.  He  was  a  leader, 
not  by  seeking  the  pre-eminence,  but  by  his  command- 
ing intellect,  suffused  with  his  lovable  qualities  of 
heart. 

He  was  not  litigious  and  captious  and  quarrelsome. 
To  him  the  filings  of  the  sanctuary  were  worth  all  the 
gold  of  Egypt,  all  the  gold  of  the  world,  and  he 
unshrinkingly  contended  for  "the  faith  which  was  once 
delivered  unto  the  saints."  It  was  this  spirit  which  car- 
ried him  into  the  controversy  over  evolution.  He  felt 
then  that  the  Bible's  statement  of  fact  was  challenged, 
and  that  his  loyalty  to  the  faith  called  upon  him  to 
resist  its  introduction  into  the  teachings  of  his  Church. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  215 

While  he  did  not  relish  defeat,  he  had  little  ambition 
for  mere  personal  triumph. 

His  brethren  often  sent  him  as  a  commissioner  to  the 
General  Assembly,  the  supreme  court  of  his  Church. 
Especially  when  they  foresaw  some  important  matter 
looming  upon  the  horizon.  He  was  made  the  Modera- 
tor of  that  body  in  1874,  when  it  met  at  Columbus^ 
Miss.  The  next  year  it  met  at  St.  Louis,  and,  according 
to  custom.  Dr.  Girardeau  preached  the  opening  sermon, 
which  was  an  argument  to  show  that  the  Church  had  no 
discretionary  power,  but  must  restrict  itself,  in  all  its 
teachings  and  actings,  to  the  Word  of  God.  All  his 
life  he  was  a  member  of  the  Charleston  Presbytery  and 
the  Synod  of  South  Carolina. 

The  views  on  many  Church  questions  which  Dr. 
Girardeau  espoused,  and  advocated  with  tongue  and 
pen,  are  interesting. 

Having  been  a  missionary  to  the  negroes  when  they 
were  slaves  and  after  they  were  freed,  he  had  a  deep 
and  abiding  concern  in  the  religious  and  ecclesiastical 
life  of  these  inferior  people.  Both  on  his  own  account, 
and  at  the  instruction  of  Presbytery,  Synod,  and 
Assembly,  he  gave  much  attention  to  the  best  solution 
of  this  problem.  He  knew  that  these  people  were,  by 
nature,  almost  destitue  of  executive  and  managerial 
qualities.  He  consequently  opposed  the  organization  of, 
an  Independent  Colored  Presbyterian  Church.  He  also 
knew  the  irreconcilable  antipathies  of  the  two  races  to 
being  mixed  in  a  common  organization,  and  felt  that 
such  a  course  would  be  against  the  religious  welfare  of 
both.  He  consequently  favored  their  organization 
under  the  tuition  and  patronage  of  their  white  brethren 
until  such  time  as  they  might  be  prepared  for  a  sepa- 
rate and  independent  Church  life. 


21 G  The  Life  Work  of 

He  opposed  the  introduction  of  instruments  of  music 
into  the  public  worship  of  God's  house.  In  this  he 
stood  with  ThornwelL  Breckinridge,  Dabney.  Peck  and 
Adger.  He  defended  this  position  on  the  ground  that 
it  was  violative  of  the  great  Protestant  principle  that 
whatsoever  is  not  commanded  is  forbidden.  He  held 
that  the  instruments  of  music,  which  were  used  in  the 
Temple,  belonged  to  its  typical  and  symbolical  service, 
and  passed  away  with  all  the  ceremonial  system  of 
Israel.  He  consistently  never  had  an  organ  in  a  church 
of  which  he  was  pastor. 

He  was  opposed  to  all  ritual  and  liturgA^  for  the 
reason  that  they  did  not  belong  to  a  spiritual  dispensa- 
tion of  religion,  and  logically  lead  to  a  dead  formalism. 
Throughout  his  life  he  resisted  any  proposition  which 
looked  in  the  direction  of  giving  any  forms  of  worship. 
The  shroudings  of  the  middle  ages  made  his  heart  sick, 
and  the  unheartiness  of  present-day  ritualists  filled  him 
with  fears.  Worship  must  be  free  and  untrammeled, 
the  uncrutched  coming  of  the  soul  into  the  presence  of 
its  God. 

Dr.  Girardeau  held  a  high  doctrine  of  the  ministry. 
It  was  a  sacred  office.  No  man  might  take  it  upon  him- 
self. He  must  be  called  of  God.  A  conviction  of  the 
Spirit  in  the  soul  of  the  applicant  was  an  essential  ele- 
ment in  this  call.  He  must  be  well  educated  in  the 
original  languages  of  the  Bible,  in  church  history  and 
theology,  and  in  all  the  subjects  specified  in  the  Book 
of  Church  Order.  Ordination  put  the  applicant  into 
possession  of  the  office,  and  installation  put  him  into  the 
exercise  of  that  office  in  a  particular  charge  or  work. 
AYlien  thus  set  apart,  he  must  devote  himself  supremely 
to  its  duties.    As  a  j^resbyter,  he  ever  sought  to  hold  up 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  217 

the  standards  of  preparation,  and  insisted  upon  regu- 
larity and  fidelity. 

He  drew  a  distinction  between  "preaching"  and 
"exhorting."  One  was  official  and  authorized,  the  other 
was  unofficial,  and  motived  by  the  general  Christian 
spirit.  Hence  he  thought  "candidates"  and  "lay  evan- 
gelists" ought,  in  the  interest  of  good  order,  to  keep 
before  the  public  that  they  were  not  the  official  exposi- 
tors of  the  gospel,  but  were  commending  it  on  their  per- 
sonal responsibility.  He  thought  a  good  way  to  make 
such  an  advertisement  was  for  the  "preacher"  to  occupy 
the  pulpit,  and  for  the  "exhorter"  to  stand  on  the  floor 
when  addressing  public  assemblies.  He  was  eager  for 
every  lover  of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  do  his  level  best  to  lead 
people  to  the  Saviour,  but  he  was  a  strict  construction- 
ist. He  loved  order.  He  feared  disorder.  "Let  him 
that  heareth  say  come,"  but  let  him  always  respect  the 
ways  prescribed  in  Scripture.  Contempt  of  "red  tape" 
would  lead  to  confusion.  Confusion  would  ultimate  in 
injury.  A  door  was  wide  open  to  every  disciple  of 
Christ,  ordained  and  unordained,  male  and  female, 
young  and  old.  But  each  must  observe  the  rules  of 
Christ's  house.  As  a  presbyter  he  always  respected  the 
constitution  of  his  Church,  and  resisted  all  efforts  to 
run  over  it,  or  to  go  around  it. 

Women  were  not  eligible  to  the  sacred  office.  Not 
because  they  were  intellectually  inferior.  Not  because 
they  were  deficient  in  piety.  He  often  poured  forth 
streams  of  matchless  eloquence  in  praise  of  "those 
women  which  labored  with  us  in  the  gospel."  But 
Scripture  had  not  laid  this  burden  upon  them.  In 
mothering  the  race  they  were  carrying  their  full  share 
of  the  tasks  and  responsibilities  of  life.  It  would  be 
inequitable  to  impose  upon  them  the  work  of  the  minis- 


218  The  Life  Work  of 

try.  To  suffer  them  to  assume  it,  in  their  zeal  for  the 
cause,  would  be  ungallant.  It  was  a  man's  task.  It 
was  a  man's  duty.  The  apostle,  in  forbidding  women 
to  speak  in  mixed  assemblies,  was  not  arbitrary,  nor 
cynical  towards  the  sex,  but  chivalrously  protecting 
them. 

Having  himself  been  a  missionary  to  the  negroes,  Dr. 
Girardeau  had  an  abiding  and  enthusiastic  concern  in 
all  the  foreign  and  domestic  missionary  enterprises  of 
the  Church.  He  and  his  session  and  congregation  of 
the  Glebe  Street  Church  in  Charleston  did  a  wonder- 
ful work  in  saving  the  churches  of  the  seaboard  of 
South  Carolina  after  the  desolations. of  the  Civil  War. 
On  the  floor  of  ecclesiastical  bodies  he  often  lifted  up 
his  voice  in  rousing  speeches  and  proposed  policies  in 
behalf  of  all  the  extension  work  of  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom.  In  this  connection  he  gave  much  time  and 
thought  to  the  powers  of  the  evangelist,  which  was 
mooted  in  Church  circles.  He  held  that  the  evangelist 
was  a  minister  extraordinary,  especially  commissioned 
in  view  of  unorganized  conditions.  He  was  not  a  bare 
preacher,  or  revivalist.  He  had  in  his  single  person  the 
authority  of  a  presbytery.  There  were  limits,  however. 
As  soon  as  he  had  organized  a  session,  the  most  elemen- 
tary court  in  the  Presbyterian  system,  he  could  not  be  a 
bishop  over  it,  but  must  be  subordinate  to  it.  In  a 
foreign  country  such  a  session  must  be  regarded  as  the 
nucleus  of  a  Presbyterian  Church — an  embryonic  pres- 
bytery, synod  and  assembly.  He  was  watchful  against 
the  slightest  movements  in  the  direction  of  an  episco- 
pacy. Power  could  be  put  into  the  hands  of  a  single 
individual  only  for  extraordinary  purposes,  and  as  soon 
as  the  circumstances  changed  the  power  must  lapse 
back  to  the  principal. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  219 

He  held  to  the  official  parity  of  elders  and  preachers. 
During  his  day  this  was  a  topic  of  live  debate.  Some 
thought  that  the  preacher  held  an  official  rank  above 
the  ruling  elder — making  a  kind  of  house  of  lords  in 
the  Church.  He  participated  in  this  discussion,  and  did 
yeoman's  service  in  making  triumphant  the  official 
equality  of  teaching  elder,  or  preacher,  and  the  ruling 
elder.  They  were  officers  of  the  same  rank.  They  had 
the  same  functions.  Each  was  a  teacher.  Each  was  a 
ruler.  It  was  the  stated  business  of  the  preacher  to 
expound  and  instruct  in  the  gospel.  The  elder  was  to 
preach  as  occasion  called  for  it,  but  it  was  not  his  set 
employment.  Each  was  to  rule,  but  conjointly  in  the 
session  and  in  other  courts.  No  power  of  government 
vested  in  the  preacher  as  preacher.  He  was  entitled  to 
"double  honor"  only  because  he  was  supposed  to  exer- 
cise the  twin  functions  of  his  office,  preaching  and  rul- 
ing, in  a  manner  especially  praiseworthy.  He  denied 
that  the  office  of  preacher  included  the  office  of  elder  as 
the  higher  includes  the  lower.  The  office  is  one,  the 
functions  are  two,  preaching  and  ruling ;  each  holder  of 
the  office  may  exercise  both  its  functions. 

A  controversy  began  in  the  undivided  Church  prior 
to  the  Civil  War  over  boards  and  committees.  Boards 
were  commissions;  their  actions,  within  their  spheres, 
were  as  final  as  if  they  had  been  taken  by  the  original 
bodies.  Committees  were  held  to  be  agents  of  the  body 
appointing  them;  their  actions  were  always  subject  to 
review,  and  were  never  final  until  they  had  been  ap- 
proved or  disapproved  by  the  appointing  body.  Thorn- 
well  led  the  opposition  to  boards.  He  argued  that 
Christ  had  given  power  to  his  Church,  laid  upon  it  a 
duty  and  responsibility,  and  that  it  could  never  dele- 
gate this  power  and  responsibility  to  any  other  agency. 


220  The  Life  Work  of 

As  against  boards  he  favored  executive  committees.  Dr. 
Girardeau  stood  with  Thornwell,  and  held  that  no  body 
could  create  another  body  that  would  be  independent 
of  the  original.  As  a  presbyter,  he  helped  to  set  up  the 
scheme  of  executive  committees  in  the  Southern  Church, 
none  of  whose  actions  are  final  without  the  imprint  of 
the  General  Assembly. 

During  the  life-time  of  Dr.  Girardeau,  the  Church 
undertook  the  complete  revision  of  its  Book  of  Church 
Order — that  part  of  its  general  Constitution  which 
prescribes  the  principles  of  its  government  and  discip- 
line. While  this  project  began  in  the  undivided 
Church,  and,  as  completed,  was  the  product  of  many 
hands.  Dr.  John  B.  Adger,  more  than  any  one  person, 
was  the  father  of  the  New  Book  of  Order.  Dr.  Girar- 
deau was  his  close  friend,  and  fellow -laborer  upon  its 
preparation.  He  discussed  many  of  its  propositions 
upon  the  floor  of  Presbytery,  Synod,  and  Assembly. 
The  clearness  of  his  expositions,  and  the  ability  of  his 
advocacy,  contributed  to  the  final  triumph.  It  was 
not,  however,  as  satisfactoiy  as  he  desired.  He 
thought  some  of  its  matters  and  prescriptions  ought 
to  be  plainer.  And  the  frequent  overtures  for  changes 
in  it,  which  have  marked  the  subsequent  history  of  the 
Church  under  it,  confirm  the  correctness  of  his  judg- 
ment. Xevertheless,  he  thought  it  a  vast  improvement 
upon  the  old  ante-bellum  statement  of  ecclesiastical 
law  and  order. 

He  felt  that  the  theory  of  the  Church,  of  the  min- 
istry, and  of  the  elder  had  been  made  sufficiently  clear, 
but  he  did  not  think  that  the  status  of  the  evangelist 
and  the  deacon  had  been  made  as  obvious  as  it  ought 
to  be.  He  became  especially  interested  in  the  deacon's 
case.    The  Synod  of  South  Carolina  in  1877  appointed 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  221 

him  on  a  committee  to  digest  the  subject,  and  submit 
to  it  a  report  of  the  biblical  doctrine  of  the  deacon, 
with  a  view  to  a  better  statement  on  this  officer.  He 
did  an  immense  amount  of  reading  and  thinking. 
There  were  those  who  thought  the  office  of  preacher 
included  that  of  elder  and  deacon.  There  were  others 
who  thought  the  office  of  elder  took  up  within  itself 
the  office  of  deacon.  The  general  opinion  minified  this 
office  and  officer.  He  was  being  treated  as  a  kind  of 
subordinate  servant  of  the  preacher  and  the  elder — 
scarcely  more  than  a  mere  financial  clerk. 

The  result  of  his  labors  was  an  elaborate  report,  in 
three  sections.  The  first  was  presented  to  the  Synod 
in  1878,  the  second  in  1879,  and  the  third  in  1880. 
They  were  printed  as  articles,  successively,  in  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Review  for  the  years  1879, 
1880,  and  1881. 

The  office  of  deacon  was  magnified.  It  was  a  dis- 
tinct office  in  the  Christian  organization,  instituted 
by  Christ.  It  is  not  included  in  the  presbyterate,  as 
the  lower  is  included  in  the  higher.  The  minister  is 
not,  ex  officio^  moderator  of  the  board  of  deacons.  The 
elder  is  not,  ex  officio^  a  collector  and  distributor  of 
church  money.  The  deacon  is  the  minister  of  finance 
in  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  He  ought  to  be  the  collector 
of  all  funds,  the  treasurer  of  all  monies,  the  trustee  of 
all  property.  He  must  look  after  all  the  temporal 
affairs  of  the  Church,  while  the  elders  look  after  its 
spiritual  concerns.  There  are,  however,  no  "deacons' 
courts."  The}^  possess  no  potestas  jurisdictianis.  That 
is  vested  in  the  session,  whose  government  is  over  the 
entire  organization.  The  board  of  deacons  is  a  "ways 
and  means  committee."  It  may  advise,  but  it  cannot 
veto  the  session.     It  can  recommend  financial  meas- 


222  The  Life  Work  of 

ures,  but  it  cannot  execute  them,  without  authority 
from  the  session.  Two  independent  authorities  in  the 
same  organization  must  end  in  collision  and  confusion. 

Dr.  J.  A.  Lefever  of  Baltimore  combatted  the  views 
of  Dr.  Girardeau.  He  held  that  the  higher  office  of 
elder  included  the  lower  office  of  deacon.  And  here 
the  matter  rests  to  this  day — uncleared  and  unsettled. 
The  deacon  is  still  wondering  what  are  his  powers, 
and  what  his  duties.  Does  the  Church  need  a  finan- 
cial officer,  and  a  financial  system?  And  has  Christ 
instituted  the  office  of  deacon  for  this  very  purpose — 
to  provide  the  ways  and  means  of  his  kingdom  in  the 
earth?  Are  we  to  go  on  in  reliance  upon  all  manner 
of  human  inventions?  Must  we  hold  out  our  cap  to 
any  hand,  and  resort  to  any  method  which  will  yield 
us  pennies  ?  Shall  we  put  in  the  Seminary  curriculum 
a  course  in  Church  finance,  and  try  to  make  expert 
financiers,  and  expert  preachers,  and  expert  rulers, 
out  of  the  same  young  men?  Or  shall  we  make  the 
deacons  finance  the  Lord's  work  in  the  world  ? 

Upon  the  subject  of  the  diaconate.  Dr.  Girardeau 
laid  down  these  propositions: 

"1.  The  functions  of  the  deacon  are  important  as  freeing  the 
ministry  and  eldership  from  engrossment  in  the  temporal  busi- 
ness of  the  Church,  and  enabling  them  to  concentrate  their 
energies  upon  their  own  spiritual  duties. 

"2.  The  deacon's  office  is  important  in  its  bearing  upon  the 
support  of  the  ministry. 

"3.  The  deacon's  office  is  important  to  the  prosecution  of  the 
benevolent  enterprises  and  the  support  of  the  institutions  of 
the  Church. 

"4.  The  full  employment  of  the  deacon's  office  is  important 
in  its  bearing  upon  the  perfect  conformity  of  our  whole  system 
of  church  order  practically,  as  well  as  theoretically,  to  the 
pattern  shown  us  in  the  Mount." 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  223 

Suppose  the  whole  body  of  our  ministers  and  elders 
were  devoted  to  converting  and  edifying  sinners,  and 
the  magnificent  body  of  deacons  were  devoted  to 
financing  the  enterprise !     It  at  least  sounds  thrilling. 

Dr.  Girardeau's  great  report  on  the  Diaconate  was, 
by  the  direction  of  that  body,  submitted  to  the  General 
Assembly.  After  some  years  of  postponing,  and  inci- 
dental consideration  of  it,  it  was  finally  printed  in  the 
appendix  of  its  minutes. 

In  1880  the  General  Assembly  met  in  Charleston. 
I  was  a  student  of  the  Theological  Seminary  in 
Columbia,  and  went  down  to  the  old  city  by  the  sea, 
to  gaze  upon  this  great  gathering  of  the  distinguished 
fathers  of  the  Church.  The  meeting  was  in  the  Sec- 
ond Presbyterian  Church.  Dr.  T.  A.  Hoyt  was  the 
Moderator.  I  heard  a  great  debate,  the  greatest  I  have 
heard,  except  the  one  in  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina 
at  Greenville,  when  evolution  was  the  bone  of  contro- 
versy. The  issue  at  Charleston  was  over  the  nature 
of  the  in  thesi  deliverances  of  church  courts.  The  pre- 
vious Assembly  at  Louisville  in  1879  had  said  that  all 
such  deliverances  were  "only  didactic,  advisory,  and 
monitory."  The  Synod  of  South  Carolina  asked  the 
Charleston  Assembly  to  "repeal,  or  at  least  seriously 
modify,"  this  pronouncement. 

Dr.  Girardeau  championed  the  overture.  For  over 
two  hours  he  was  heard  with  transfixed  attention  and 
admiration.  His  reasoning  was  ablaze,  and  his  flights 
of  eloquence  were  sublime.  The  historian  of  the  occa- 
sion (Dr.  Adger),  who  was  present,  wrote,  "It  is  not 
often  such  logic  set  on  fire  is  heard  in  any  Church 
Assembly."  Dr.  Girardeau's  powers  at  the  time  and 
for  the  occasion  were  full-orbed.  He  was  on  his  native 
heath,  and  in  a  building  which  reeked  with  boyhood- 


224  The  Life  Work  of 

memories,  and  was  clustered  about  by  a  thousand  hal- 
lowed associations.  He  was  before  the  Assembly  of 
the  Church  of  his  love,  and  the  spokesman  for  the 
Synod  to  which  he  had  been  devoted  all  his  life.  The 
issue  was  serious  in  his  judgment,  and  bulked  large 
in  his  concern.  The  very  power  of  the  Church  to 
declare  truth  and  maintain  order  had  been  eviscerated. 
The  authority  which  had  been  unwittingly  taken  away 
must  be  recovered.  Every  thing  challenged  him  to 
his  mightiest  and  his  best.  He  rose  to  the  occasion 
in  all  the  grandeur  of  discourse.  Impersonal  in  all 
his  utterances,  his  speech  marred  by  no  ungenerous 
flings,  and  tainted  by  no  biting  invectives,  he  held  to 
the  issue,  and  pleaded  his  cause  like  a  statesman  stand- 
ing on  a  mountain  top.  He  analyzed  and  expounded, 
argued  and  reasoned,  clothed  his  thought  in  lofty  dic- 
tion and  gorgeous  rhetoric,  and  uttered  it  Avith  the 
elocution  of  a  natural  artist. 

He  held  that  the  in  thesi  deliverances  of  the  Assem- 
bly were  not  mere  advice,  to  be  treated  by  its  con- 
stituency as  it  pleased.  He  denied  that  they  were  the 
mere  opinions  of  a  Congregational  Association.  Such 
pronouncements  were  to  be  respected  as  the  decisions 
of  the  supreme  court  of  the  Church  of  Christ  on  earth. 
They  were  to  be  submitted  to,  when  consonant  with 
the  Word  of  God.  They  were  not  private  interpreta- 
tions, but  official  expositions.  True,  the  Church  had 
its  standards,  its  Confession  of  Faith,  but  when  con- 
trary interpretations  were  put  upon  the  statements 
of  this  formulary,  who  has  the  final  decision  as  to  the 
real  meaning?  All  synods  and  councils  might  err; 
nothing  was  infallible  but  Scripture  itself;  but  the 
Church,  in  its  highest  Assembly,  had  the  authority 
and  must  take  the  responsibility  of  interpreting  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  225 

meaning  of  its  own  fundamental  law.  He  did  not  hold 
that  the  Assembly  had  the  right  to  make  law,  to  form- 
ulate a  constitution,  but  that  it  did  have  the  right  to 
give  a  final  interpretation  of  its  ow^n  constitution. 
Such  interpretations  were  to  be  respected  and  sub- 
mitted to,  unless  one,  in  the  exercise  of  his  right  of 
private  judgment,  should  take  upon  himself  the 
responsibility  of  declaring  them  to  be  contrary  to  the 
Word  of  God.  In  that  case,  he  could  seek  a  repeal  or 
modification  of  the  deliverance,  or,  in  the  last  resort, 
he  could  secede  from  the  organization.  He  was  strug- 
gling to  maintain  the  force  and  respect  of  the  Assem- 
bly as  the  highest  court  of  the  Church. 

Dr.  James  Woodrow,  his  colleague  in  the  Columbia 
Seminary,  and  Dr.  H.  M.  Smith,  an  editor  of  New 
Orleans,  replied  to  the  speech  in  arguments  that  were 
acute  and  able.  Each  spoke  as  long.  They  did  not 
display  the  entrancing  eloquence  of  Dr.  Girardeau, 
but  there  was  a  simplicity  and  clearness  in  their  dis- 
cussions, which  made  them  very  charming  and  illumi- 
nating. Dr.  Woodrow's  main  point  was  that  in  thesi 
deliverances  could  not  be  made  the  premises  of  judicial 
prosecutions;  offences  must  be  charged  under  the  text 
of  the  constitutional  laAv,  and  not  under  any  Assem- 
bly's interpretation  of  that  text;  consequently  what- 
ever else  might  be  said  about  such  deliverances,  in 
their  praise  or  condemnation,  they  were  at  bottom 
"only  didactic,  advisory,  and  monitory."  The  burden 
of  Dr.  Smith's  argument  was,  that  Dr.  Girardeau's 
doctrine  of  in  thesi  deliverances  would  cause  to  grow 
up,  beside  the  constitution  and  outside  the  constitu- 
tion, a  body  of  laws  made  by  the  Assemblies;  authori- 
tative interpretations  of  law  would  themselves  have 
the  force  of  law;  we  would  presently  have  the  consti- 


226  The  Life  Work  of 

tution  loaded  down  with  commentaries  and  exposi- 
tions of  it,  as  binding  as  the  text  itself ;  hence  the  only 
safety  was  in  treating  i^i  thesi  deliverances  as  "only 
didactic,  advisory,  and  monitory." 

On  the  ninth  day  of  the  session  Dr.  Girardeau  made 
a  rejoinder  to  both  the  preceding  speakers.  In  reply 
to  Dr.  Woodrow,  he  admitted  that  judicial  proceed- 
ings could  initiate  only  against  such  offenses  as  were 
charged  under  the  text  of  the  constitution,  but  con- 
tended that  the  very  text  of  the  constitution  provided 
that  some  matters  could  be  settled  in  some  other  mode 
than  by  judicial  process.  Our  lower  courts  are  empow- 
ered to  overture  Assemblies,  and  Assemblies  are 
authorized  "to  determine  controversies  of  faith  and 
cases  of  conscience."  Judicial  decisions  are  but  appli- 
cations of  the  Word  of  God  to  a  particular  case;  why 
should  not  such  decisions  be  just  as  forceful,  if  imper- 
sonallj^  applied  to  precisely  the  same  matter?  In 
reply  to  Dr.  Smith,  he  contended  that,  if  judicial 
decisions  are  concrete  precedents,  why  should  not  in 
'thesi  deliverances  be  general  precedents?  The  ques- 
tion was  not  as  to  the  power  of  the  Assembly  to  make 
law,  but  to  interpret  the  law  already  made.  In  both 
speeches  he  contended  that  the  Assembly  had  no  power 
to  make  law,  but  affirmed  that  it  had  the  power  to 
interpret  law  already  made,  particularly  by  judicial 
decisions  and  generally  by  in  thesi  decisions. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  rejoinder.  Dr.  Woodrow 
arose  and  offered  the  following  paper,  which  was  pre- 
pared by  Dr.  Adger,  promptly  seconded  by  Dr.  Girar- 
deau, and  adopted  by  the  Assembly: 

"1.  Nothing  is  law  to  be  enforced  by  judicial  prosecution  but 
that  which  is  contained  in  the  Word  as  interpreted  in  our 
standards. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  227 

"2.  The  judicial  decisions  of  our  courts  differ  from  their  in 
thesi  deliverances  in  that  the  former  determine,  and,  when 
proceeding  from  our  highest  court,  conclude  a  particular  case. 
But  both  these  kinds  of  decisions  are  alike  interpretations  of 
the  Word  by  a  church  court,  and  both  not  only  deserve  high 
consideration,  but  both  must  be  submitted  to,  unless  contrary 
to  the  Constitution  and  the  Word;  of  which  there  is  a  right 
of  private  judgment  belonging  to  every  church  court,  and  also 
every  individual  church  member." 

By  the  adjournment  of  the  Assembly  the  discussion 
was  rife  as  to  the  interpretation  of  this  very  paper. 
Some  said  it  meant  one  thing,  some  said  it  meant 
another.  The  Synod  of  South  Carolina  asked  the  next 
Assembly,  meeting  at  Staunton,  Virginia,  to  define  its 
meaning.  After  consideration.  Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer 
offered  the  following,  which  was  adopted  almost 
unanimously : 

"To  the  overture  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  the  Assem- 
bly returns  answer  that  all  just  and  necessary  consequences 
from  the  law  of  the  Church  are  part  of  the  same  in  the  logical 
sense  of  being  implicitly  contained  therein.  The  authority  of 
this  law  is,  however,  twofold.  It  binds  all  those  who  profess 
to  live  under  it  as  a  covenant  by  which  they  are  united  in  one 
communion,  so  there  is  no  escape  from  its  control,  except  by 
renouncing  its  jurisdiction;  and  it  binds  because  it  has  been 
accepted  as  a  true  expression  of  what  is  revealed  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures  as  infallible  truth.  The  consequences  deduced  from 
it  cannot,  therefore,  be  equal  in  authority  with  the  law  itself, 
unless  they  be  necessarily  contained  within  it,  as  shown  by 
their  agreement  also  with  the  Divine  Word." 

Commenting  upon  this  vexed  question,  and  upon 
this  last  ambiguous  decision  of  the  Assembly,  Dr. 
R.  L.  Dabney  wrote,  "a  church  government  at  once 
free  and  Presbyterian  (as  opposed  to  the  mere  advis- 
ory action  of  congregational  associations)  cannot  be 
excogitated,  without  admitting  the  principle  claimed 


228  The  Life  Work  of 

by  the  South  Carolina  Synod."  The  illustrious  Vir- 
ginian was  right.  Suppose  a  member  charged  with 
an  oifence  under  the  very  text  of  the  standards.  But 
that  text  itself  is  of  doubtful  interpretation.  Who, 
but  the  supreme  court  of  the  Church  can  resolve  that 
doubt?  Some  such  decision  is  necessary  to  make  pos- 
sible the  settlement  of  the  litigation. 

This  whole  question  had  originated  in  precisely  this 
manner.  A  judicial  case  had  started  in  Atlanta.  A 
member  had  been  disciplined  for  participating  in  what 
is  called  "worldly  amusement."  The  case  had  made 
its  way  to  the  General  Assembly.  The  whole  hinge  of 
this  matter  was  whether  the  standards  did,  or  did  not, 
inhibit  the  thing  alleged  in  the  indictment.  Quoad 
Tiocy  what  was  the  meaning  of  the  law?  It  needed  to 
be  interpreted,  before  it  could  be  applied  for  acquittal 
or  conviction.  The  facts  were  admitted  by  both 
parties.  The  dispute  was  over  the  scope  and  meaning 
of  the  law.  Under  one  interpretation,  no  offence  had 
been  committed;  under  the  other  interpretation,  a 
serious  offence  had  been  committed.  Who  is  to  decide 
the  matter  of  meaning?  When  the  judicial  case  was 
out  of  the  way,  the  General  Assembly  was  asked  the 
question,  Who  has  authority  to  decide  between  dis- 
putes as  to  the  meaning  of  the  standards?  The  Louis- 
ville Assembly  answered,  that  "all  in  thesi  deliver- 
ances are  only  didactic,  advisory,  and  monitory."  This 
was  tantamount  to  saying  that  there  is  no  way  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  to  decide  the  meaning  of  a  dis- 
puted law,  whereas  its  Constitution  gives  the  final 
power  to  the  General  Assembly,  "to  determine  con- 
troversies of  faith  and  cases  of  conscience."  Towards 
such  a  "determination,"  the  first  step  is  the  making  of 
a  law;  and  this  has  been  done  by  the  entire  Church, 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  229 

and  written  as  its  Constitution.  The  next  step  is  the 
interpretation  of  this  written  law;  and  this  is  left  to 
the  courts  of  the  Church,  the  final  decision  in  the  series 
being  with  the  General  Assembly. 

If  the  General  Assembly,  in  exercising  its  right  of 
construing  the  law,  being  fallible,  wrongs  a  member, 
he  must  submit  to  injury,  or  exercise  his  primal  right 
of  withdrawing  from  its  jurisdiction.  This  would  be 
the  case,  whether  the  decision  was  judicial  or  in  ihesi. 
Without  the  power  to  interpret,  no  business  could  be 
transacted. 

Dr.  Girardeau  reflected  much  upon  the  subject  of 
the  Church  and  Education.  It  was  not  easy  for  him 
to  see  a  perfectly  clear  and  self-consistent  position  and 
policy.  Had  it  any  lawful  right  in  the  school-house? 
Had  it  a  biblical  commission  to  teach  Latin  and  Greek, 
mathematics  and  science,  or  any  departments  of  mere 
culture  ?  Was  not  its  sole  topic  the  Christian  religion, 
its  one  text-book  the  Bible?    It  seemed  so. 

Hence,  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  he  stood  with 
Thornwell,  and  held  that  education  was  a  function  of 
the  State  and  not  of  the  Church.  During  this  period 
his  sympathies  Avith  church-schools  were  weak.  But 
on  the  floor  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina,  meeting 
in  Yorkville  in  1890,  he  announced  his  conversion 
from  State-schools  to  Church-schools,  he  made  a 
speech  forcefully  developing  the  following  four  con- 
trolling reasons,  taken  from  his  manuscript  notes : 

"1.  Our  children  belong  to  Christ,  and  must  be  educated  for 
His  service  and  glory. 

"2.  We  are  Presbyterian  Christians,  and  must  educate  our 
children  in  Presbyterian  Christianity. 

"3.  The  State  is  tending  to  exclude  Bible-religion  from  her 
institutions,  and  necessarily  excludes  Presbyterianism.    We  are 


230  The  Life  Work  of 

bound,  therefore,  to  create  and  patronize  our  own  institutions. 

"4.  If  religion  is  to  be  taught,  its  teachers  must  be  held 
responsible  to  Boards,  which  are  themselves  responsible  to 
bodies  above  them  and  capable  of  controlling  them.  The  only 
such  bodies  available  are  Church-courts." 

He  never  had  any  misgivings  about  the  Scriptural 
right  of  the  Church  to  found  and  operate  Theological 
Seminaries.  An  educated  ministry  was  a  first  desider- 
atum, and  a  plain  biblical  duty.  Such  training  could 
best  be  given  in  theological  schools,  founded  and  oper- 
ated for  this  specific  purpose.  But  he  was  clear  that 
the  curriculum  of  such  schools  ought  to  embrace  only 
such  subjects  as  were  directly  germain  to  a  prepara- 
tion for  the  gospel  ministry.  He  never  saw  his  way 
clear  to  expanding  the  seminary  into  a  religious  uni- 
versity. 

These  things  show  us  how  intensely  interested  in 
the  subject  of  ecclesiolog^^  Dr.  Girardeau  was.  He 
labored  for  a  clear  and  consistent  system  of  order, 
even  as  he  did  for  a  harmonious  doctrine  of  faith.  He 
sought  for  the  principles  that  were  at  the  bottom.  He 
was  always  willing  for  their  logical  application  every- 
where. He  took  a  large  part  in  the  discussion  of 
ecclesiastical  questions.  He  had  an  abiding  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  his  Church.  He  gave  liberally  of  his 
time  and  abilities  and  counsels,  in  all  the  efforts  of 
his  associates  to  see  clearly  and  act  wisely.  He  was 
passionately  loyal  to  his  denomination,  yet  catholic 
and  evangelical  in  his  spirit.  He  was  opposed  to  the 
reunion  of  the  Southern  and  Xorthern  Churches, 
because  he  felt  that  they  were  divided  by  principles 
and  policies,  sympathies  and  sentiments,  and  could 
best  cooperate,  peaceably  and  effectively,  in  promoting 
the  common  cause  of  Christ,  in  separate  organizations. 

He  was  an  eminent  and  arduous,  a  faithful  and 
painstaking  Presbyter. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE  EVOLUTION  CONTROVERSY 

By  R.  A.  Webb,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

In  1883  a  controversy  over  the  doctrine  of  Evolu- 
tion began  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church, 
which  lasted  for  eight  distressing  years.  Dr.  Girar- 
deau took  a  prominent  part  in  this  controversy. 

This  denomination  had  at  Columbia,  South  Caro- 
lina, a  Theological  Seminary  for  the  training  of  young 
men  for  the  Gospel  ministry.  This  school  was  under 
the  control  of  the  four  Synods  of  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  Alabama  and  Florida,  themselves  subordi- 
nate bodies  under  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  the  United  States.  These  Synods 
administered  the  affairs  of  this  institution  through  a 
Board  of  Directors,  chosen  by  themselves,  and  which 
made  annual  reports  to  the  controlling  Synods. 

This  Theological  Seminary  was  unique  in  that  it  was 
the  only  institution  of  its  kind  which  had  a  chair 
specially  endowed,  and  devoted  to  the  exposition  of  the 
relations  between  Natural  Science  and  Revelation. 
This  chair  had  been  occupied,  since  its  foundation  in 
1861,  by  Dr.  James  Woodrow,  a  distinguished  scholar 
and  eminent  ecclesiastic. 

There  first  began  to  be  irresponsible  whisperings 
about  Dr.  Woodrow 's  soundness  in  the  faith;  specifi- 
cally about  his  attitude  toward  the  hypothesis  of  Evo- 
lution. It  was  being  hinted  that  he  had  changed  from 
an  opponent  to  a  friend  of  this  hypothesis. 

At  its  annual  meeting  in  May,  1883,  the  Board  of 
Directors  adopted  the  following  paper: 


232  The  Life  Work  of 

"Whereas  this  Seminary  is  the  only  one  in  our  Southern 
Church  that  has  the  chair  of  'Natural  Science  in  Connexion 
with  Revelation',  and 

"Whereas  'during  the  senior  year  the  question  of  the  Unity 
and  Antiquity  of  the  Human  Race  and  Evolution  are  fully 
examined',  and 

"Whereas  skepticism  in  the  world  is  using  alleged  discoveries 
in  science  to  impugn  the  word  of  God ; 

''Therefore  he  it  Resolved,  That  this  Board  request  Professor 
Dr.  James  Woodrow  to  give  fully  his  views,  as  taught  in  this 
institution,  upon  Evolution,  as  it  respects  the  world,  the  lower 
animals,  and  man,  in  the  October  number  of  the  Southern  Pres- 
byterian Review,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  possible." 

Dr.  Woodrow  prepared  the  statement  of  his  views 
requested  by  the  Board,  and  delivered  it  as  an  address 
before  the  Ahimni  Association  in  May,  1884,  and  pub- 
lished it  in  the  Southern  Preshterian  Review  in  July 
of  the  same  year. 

In  this  address  the  Professor  guardedly  committed 
himself  to  the  evolutionary  origin  of  the  world,  the 
lower  animals,  and  man  as  to  his  body  only. 

A  sensation  was  created.  The  address  was  the  sub- 
ject of  private  comment  and  of  public  remark  in  the 
secular  and  ecclesiastical  press.  Some  thought  his 
views  were  permissible  in  a  theological  seminary; 
others  thought  them  improper  and  to  be  forbidden. 
Lines  at  once  began  to  be  drawn.  The  Board  of 
Directors  adopted  (a  minority  protesting)  a  minute 
permitting  in  the  Seminary  the  views  expressed  in  the 
address. 

The  report  of  the  Board  and  the  address  came  up 
regularly  before  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina,  which 
met  at  Greenville  in  that  State  in  the  fall  of  1884. 
The  matter  was  referred  by  this  Synod  to  a  special 
committee  to  report  at  that  session  as  speedily  as  pos- 


JoHX  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  238 

sible.     This  committee   divided   and   brought   in   two 
reports,  majority  and  minority. 
The  majority  report : 

"1.  That  the  hypothesis  of  evolution  respecting  the  earth,  the 
lower  animals,  and  man's  body,  being  a  purely  scientific  and 
extra  scriptural  theory,  the  church,  as  such,  is  not  called  upon 
to  make  any  deliverance  concerning  its  truth  or  falsity. 

"2.  That  the  church  being  set  for  the  defence  of  the  gospel 
and  the  promulgation  of  scriptural  doctrines,  can  never,  with- 
out transcending  her  proper  sphere,  incorporate  into  her  Con- 
fession of  Faith  any  of  the  hypotheses,  theories  or  systems  of 
human  science. 

"3.  That  while  the  presentation  of  the  hypothesis  of  evolution 
in  its  relations  to  Scripture  falls  necessarily  within  the  scope 
of  the  duties  pertaining  to  the  Perkins  Professorship,  neverthe- 
less, neither  this  nor  any  other  scientific  hypothesis  is,  or  can 
be,  taught  in  our  Theological  Seminary  as  an  article  of  church 
faith. 

"4.  That,  in  view  of  the  above  considerations,  the  Synod  sees 
no  suflicient  reason  to  interfere  with  the  present  order  of  our 
Theological  Seminary  as  determined  by  the  Board  of  Directors." 

The  minority  report: 

"1.  That  the  question,  whether  Dr.  Woodrow's  views  involve 
heresy,  is  not  before  the  Synod. 

"2.  That  the  Synod  was  not  called  on  to  decide  the  question 
whether  the  views  of  Dr.  Woodrow  contradict  the  Bible  in  its 
highest  and  most  absolute  sense,  but  whether  they  contradict 
the  interpretations  of  the  Bible  by  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  States. 

"3.  That  the  declaration  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  that  'the 
relations  subsisting  between  the  teachings  of  Scripture  and  the 
teachings  of  natural  science  are  plainly,  correctly,  and  satis- 
factorily set  forth'  in  Dr.  Woodrow's  address  on  evolution,  was 
inexpedient  and  injudicious. 

"4.  That  the  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  virtually 
approving  the  inculcation  and  defence  of  the  said  hypothesis, 
even  as  a  probable  one,  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  as  being 


234  Tpie  Life  Work  or 

contrary  to  the  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  by  our  cliurch 
and  to  her  prevailing  and  recognized  view,  is,  a  majority  of 
the  associated  Synods  concurring,  hereby  prohibited." 

A  great  debate  ensued.  It  lasted  for  five  days.  A 
member  of  Congress,  who  heard  it,  told  me  at  its  close, 
that,  for  ability,  dignity  and  force,  he  had  never  heard 
its  equal  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  On  one 
side  were  Dr.  J.  S.  Cozby,  Dr.  J.  B.  Adger,  Dr.  C.  E. 
Hemphill,  Dr.  J.  L.  Martin,  Dr.  G.  R.  Brackett,  Dr. 
W.  J.  McKay,  Hon.  W.  A.  Clark,  and  Dr.  James 
Woodrow.  On  the  other  were  Dr.  J.  B.  Mack,  Dr. 
W.  F.  Junkin,  Dr.  W.  T.  Thompson,  Dr.  C.  S.  Vedder, 
Dr.  H.  E.  Shepherd,  Dr.  H.  B.  Pratt,  R.  A.  Webb,  and 
Dr.  J.  L.  Girardeau.  The  last  named  had  been  a 
devoted  and  illustrious  member  of  this  Synod  all  his 
life,  and  was  an  alumnus  of,  and  a  professor  in,  the 
Columbia  Seminary,  and  cherished  a  passionate  love 
for  his  State  and  his  Church,  for  his  Synod  and  his 
Seminary.  He  made  two  speeches  on  the  occasion,  tlie 
substance  of  which  was  subsequently  printed  in  a 
pamphlet,  which  is  here  reproduced,  because  it  shows 
the  position  which  he  held,  and  the  object  for  which 
he  contended  to  the  very  end  of  the  long  and  weary 
controversy  which  followed. 

THE      SUBSTANCE      OF      TWO      SPEECHES      ON      THE 

TEACHING  OF  EVOLUTION   IN  COLUMBIA 

THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

Delivered  in  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina,  at  Greenville,  S.  C, 
October,  1884,  by  John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D. 

Prefatory  Note. — At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
Columbia  Theological  Seminary,  held  in  September,  the  Address 
of  Dr.  James  Woodrow  on  Evolution  was  submitted  to  them  by 
him  for  their  consideration.  By  a  majority  of.  8  to  3,  the  Board 
took  the  following  action : 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  235 

The  Board  having  carefully  considered  the  address  of  Dr. 
Woodrow,  published  in  pursuance  of  the  request  of  this  Board, 
adopts  the  following : 

1st.  Resolved,  That  the  Board  does  hereby  tender  to  Dr. 
Woodrow  its  thanks  for  the  ability  and  faithfulness  with  whicli 
he  has  complied  with  its  request. 

2d.  That  in  the  judgment  of  this  Board  the  relations  subsist- 
ing between  the  teachings  of  Scripture  and  the  teachings  of 
natural  science  are  plainly,  correctly  and  satisfactorily  set  forth 
in  said  address. 

3d.  That  the  Board  is  not  prepared  to  concur  in  the  view 
expressed  by  Dr.  Woodrow  as  to  the  probable  method  of  the 
creation  of  Adam's  body— yet,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Board, 
there  is  nothing  in  the  doctrine  of  evolution,  as  defined  and 
limited  by  him,  which  appears  inconsistent  with  perfect  sound- 
ness in  the  faith. 

4th.  That  the  Board  takes  this  occasion  to  record  its  deep 
and  ever  growing  sense  of  the  wisdom  of  our  Synods  in  the 
establishment  of  the  chair  of  "the  Perkins  Professorship  of 
Natural  Science  in  Connexion  with  Revelation,"  and  of  the 
importance  of  such  instruction  as  is  thereby  afforded,  that  our 
ministry  may  be  the  better  prepared  to  resist  the  objections  of 
infidel  scientists  and  defend  the  Scriptures  against  their  insid- 
ious charges. 

Against  this  action  the  minority  entered  the  following  pro- 
test: 

1.  Evolution  is  an  unproved  hypothesis,  and  the  Seminary  is 
not  the  place  for  such  teaching. 

2.  Belief  in  evolution  changes  the  interpretation  of  many  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  from  that  now  received  by  the  Church. 

3.  The  view  that  the  body  of  Adam  was  evolved  from  lower 
animals,  and  not  formed  by  a  supernatural  act  of  God,  is  dan- 
gerous and  hurtful. 

4.  The  theory  that  Adam's  body  was  formed  by  the  natural 
law  of  evolution,  while  Eve's  was  created  by  a  supernatural  act 
of  God,  is  contrary  to  our  confession  of  faith  as  that  confession 
of  faith  has  been  and  is  interpreted  by  our  Church. 

5.  The  advocacy  of  views  which  have  received  neither  the 
endorsement  of  the  Board  nor  that  of  the  Synods  havmg  control 
of  the  Seminary,  which  have  not  been  established  by  science, 
which  have  no  authority  from  the  Word  of  God,  which  tend  to 


236  The  Life  Work  of 

unsettle  the  received  interpretation  of  many  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture and  to  destroy  the  confidence  of  the  Church  in  her  doc- 
trinal standards,  which  have  already  produced  so  much  evil, 
and  which  will  injure  the  Seminary  and  may  rend  our  Church, 
ought  not  to  he  alloived. 

The  report  of  the  Board  having  been  submitted  to  the  Synod 
of  South  Carolina,  was  referred  to  a  Standing  Committee  on 
the  Theological  Seminary.  That  committee  presented  a  majority 
and  minority  report. 

******* 

The  question  was  on  the  adoption  of  the  majority  report. 
The  greater  part  of  the  ensuing  remarks  is  a  reproduction 
verbatim  of  what  was  spoken  from  full  notes  on  the  floor  of 
the  Synod.  The  same  verbal  accuracy  is  not  vouched  for  in 
regard  to  the  whole  of  them.  It  is  not  the  writer's  intention  to 
invite  controversy.  He  has  consented  to  the  publication  of  the 
speech,  partly  because  it  was  very  inadequately  reported,  and 
partly  because  it  enounces  principles  which,  it  is  humbly  con- 
ceived, may  prove  of  some  benefit  to  the  Church. 

After  some  introductory  remarks,  in  which  he  expressed  his 
reluctance  to  oppose  a  colleague  with  whom  he  had  for  eight 
years  been  associated,  his  appreciation  of  Dr.  Woodrow's  tran- 
scendent abilities  as  a  teacher,  and  the  obligation  imposed  upon 
him  by  his  position  as  a  presbyter  and  a  member  of  the  Synod 
to  utter  his  convictions  upon  the  subject  under  consideration, 
the  speaker  proceeded  to  say : 

Mr.  Moderator : — The  question  is  not  before  this  Synod 
whether  Dr.  Woodrow  is  liable  to  the  charge  of  heresy. 

In  the  first  place,  the  Synod  is  directly  dealing  with  the 
action  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  which  in  due  order  comes 
before  it  for  consideration.  But  there  is  no  evidence  furnished 
by  the  report  of  the  Board,  that  any  charge  or  allegation  of 
heretical  teaching  on  the  part  of  Dr.  Woodrow  was  laid  before 
them.  Consequently  they  did  not  consider  such  an  accusation. 
The  question  of  heresy  was  not  properly  before  them,  and  as 
we  have  to  do  with  the  proceedings  of  the  Board  that  question 
is  not  properly  before  us.  Allegations  to  the  effect  that  Dr. 
Woodrow  teaches  heretical  doctrine  have  been  made  by  certain 
newspapers  and  individuals ;  and  were  it  proper  for  this  Synod 
to  notice  such  statements,  I  would,  as  one  of  its  members,  favor 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  237 

its  vindication  of  liim  against  tliem.  We  are,  however,  not 
directly  concerned  about  outside  and  irresponsible  allegations, 
but  about  the  official  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  the 
matters  with  which  it  specifically  dealt. 

In  the  second  place,  I  believe — although  others  may  differ 
with  me  on  this  point — that  there  is  no  ground  in  fact  upon 
which  a  charge  of  heresy  in  this  case  could  be  based,  and  there- 
fore no  ground  for  the  raising  of  the  question  by  this  body. 

We  have  been  referred  by  one  of  the  speakers  for  a  definition 
of  heresy  to  our  Book  of  Discipline,  Chapter  III.  That  chapter 
defines  offenses,  which  are  objects  of  judicial  process,  and 
declares  that  "general  offenses  are  heresies  or  immoralities." 
But  as  no  specific  difference  of  heresy  is  here  indicated,  no 
definition  is  furnished.  It  is  evident  that  we  must  look  else- 
where for  a  definition  of  heresy. 

Nor  will  it  do  to  say  that  heresy  is  that  which  is  contrary  to 
the  Scriptures  and  our  Doctrinal  Standards.  No  doubt  all 
heresy  is  contrary  to  the  Scriptures  and  our  Standards,  but  all 
that  is  so  characterized  is  not  necessarily  heresy.  There  are 
degrees  of  opposition  to  the  Scriptures  and  the  Standards,  and 
of  some  of  them  we  are  not  warranted  in  affirming  that  they 
are  heretical.  Take  as  an  example  a  single  case.  Our  Stand- 
ards, professing  to  found  their  doctrine  on  the  subject  upon  the 
teachings  of  the  Scriptures,  deliver  the  post-millennial  view  of 
the  second  advent  of  Christ.  Would  we  stigmatise  as  heretics 
the  brethren  among  us  who  hold  the  pre-millennial  view, 
because  that  tenet  is  contrary  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  inter- 
preting the  Scriptures? 

What,  then,  is  heresy,  according  to  our  conception?  It 
involves  a  serious  departure  either  from  the  fundamental  ele- 
ments of  the  gospel,  or  what  is  the  same  thing  the  scheme  of 
redemption,  or  from  the  vital  doctrines  of  the  Calvinistic  The- 
ology.* This  is  the  definition  of  heresy  accepted  by  our  theo- 
logians, and  tried  by  this  standard  I  fail  to  see  how  Dr.  Wood- 
row's  views  can  be  pronounced  heretical.  He  denies  no  funda- 
mental element  of  the  gospel  scheme ;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
professes  cordially  to  hold  every  one  of  them.  And  it  would 
be  a  difficult  task  to  show  how  his  views,  in  themselves  con- 


♦These  terms  were  used  in  a  wide  sense  as  including  what  is  common 
to  Calvinism  and  orthodoxy  as  well  as  what  is  pecular  to  it. 


238  The  Life  Work  of 

sidered  apart  from  his  professions,  logically  contravene  any 
essential  part  of  the  scheme  of  redemption.  He  denies  no  vital 
doctrine  of  the  Calvinistic  Theology;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
professes  to  maintain  every  one  of  them.  He  avows  himself  a 
theist,  holds  that  God  originally  created  matter  out  of  nothing, 
and  that  he  immediately  created  the  human  soul  in  the  first 
instance.  He  expressly  asserts  the  doctrine  of  a  conciirsus  of 
Divine  Providence  with  all  the  forces  and  processes  of  nature. 
He  affirms  his  belief  in  the  plenary  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures 
and  in  all  the  miracles  which  they  record,  including  the  mirac- 
ulous production  of  the  human  nature  of  our  incarnate  Lord ; 
and,  in  fine,  in  all  the  facts,  whether  miraculous  or  otherwise, 
of  the  gospel  history  and  of  the  scheme  of  redemption.  He  also 
professes  his  acceptance  of  the  federal  headship  of  Adam,  in 
answer  to  those  who  have  charged  his  views  with  involving  a 
rejection  of  that  doctrine.  I  am  not  able  to  perceive,  therefore, 
how  his  teaching  can  be  adjudged  to  be  heretical.  Whether  it 
contradicts  the  Scriptures,  and,  if  so,  in  what  sense,  are  ques- 
tions which  will  be  considered  in  the  progress  of  this  argument. 

The  question  which  is  before  the  Synod  is,  whether  it  will 
approve  or  disapprove  the  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  and, 
by  implication,  the  inculcation  of  Dr.  Woodrow's  hypothesis  of 
evolution  in  the  Theological  Seminary. 

The  action  of  the  Board,  so  far  as  it  fairly  comes  before  us 
for  consideration,  consists  of  two  parts :  first,  the  endorsement 
of  Dr.  Woodrow's  exposition  of  the  relations  between  the  Bible 
and  Natural  Science  as  plain,  correct  and  satisfactory ;  secondly, 
the  judgment  that  Dr.  Woodrow's  hypothesis  of  evolution  is 
consistent  with  perfect  soundness  in  the  faith,  and,  by  necessary 
inference,  the  Board's  consent  to  its  being  inculcated  in  the 
Theological  Seminary. 

I. — I  proceed  to  assign  some  reasons  why  this  Synod  should 
not  give  its  formal  approval  to  the  first  element  of  the  action 
of  the  Board,  to  which  attention  has  been  cited. 

1.  The  question  of  the  relations  between  the  Bible  and  science 
is  one  which  has  long  been  discussed,  and  one  which  demands 
the  most  mature  and  careful  treatment.  There  was  no  urgent 
reason  requiring  the  Board  to  pass  their  official  judgment  upon 
that  difficult  subject.  They  might  have  left  Dr.  Woodrow's 
exposition  to  speak  for  Itself  upon  its  own  merits.  Nor  is  there 
any  evidence  that  in  the  joint  deliberations  of  the  Board  this 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  239 

particular  question  received  a  consideration  proportionate  to  its 
importance.  For  aught  ttiat  appears,  their  decision  in  regard 
to  it  was  of  the  nature  of  a  snap  judgment.  The  difficulties 
inherent  in  the  subject,  and  the  high  position  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  as  the  custodians,  and  in  some  measure  the  exponents, 
of  a  correct  theology,  rendered  unwise  so  dogmatic  and  sweep- 
ing a  judgment  as  was  embodied  in  their  action.  I  trust,  there- 
fore, that  the  Synod  will  either  express  its  sense  of  the  injudi- 
ciousness  of  that  decision,  or  at  least  refrain  from  giving  it  its 
solemn  approval. 

2.  There  are,  in  my  humble  judgment,  certain  defects  in  the 
exposition  of  the  relations  between  the  Bible  and  science,  which 
should  have  induced  the  Board  to  hesitate  before  pronouncing 
so  absolute  a  judgment  as  that  it  is  plain,  correct  and  satis- 
factory. 

(1.)  The  proposition  that  "the  Bible  does  not  teach  science," 
although  in  an  important  sense  true,  is  yet  in  some  degree 
vague  and  ambiguous,  and  needed  further  qualification  than  is 
Imposed  upon  it  in  the  exposition.  It  is  not  my  intention  to 
criticise  its  author  in  regard  to  this  matter.  It  may  be  admitted 
that  it  was  impracticable,  within  the  limits  of  a  single  discourse 
so  wide  in  its  range,  to  give  this  particular  proposition  any 
fuller  elucidation  than  was  actually  furnished.  I  make  this 
statement  in  order  to  evince  the  inexpediency  of  the  Board's 
unrestricted  declaration  that  the  exposition  was  satisfactory. 
But  this  point  is  not  of  great  consequence  in  the  present  discus- 
sion. We  may  concede  the  truth  of  the  proposition  in  the  sense 
intended  by  its  maintainers,  and  nothing  material  will  be  gained 
or  lost  on  one  side  or  the  other. 

(2.)  Another  difficulty  is  occasioned  by  the  assertion  in  the 
exposition  of  a  marked  difference  between  non-contradiction 
and  harmony.  The  position  is  definitely  taken  that  we  are  not 
to  expect  harmony,  but  merely  non-contradiction,  between  the 
statements  of  the  Bible  and  those  of  science.  Now  a  distinction 
is  obvious  and  necessary — namely,  between  the  cases  in  which 
the  respective  statements  do,  and  those  in  which  they  do  not, 
relate  to  the  same  thing.  But  the  illustrative  cases  mentioned 
in  the  exposition  are  those  in  which  different  classes  of  state- 
ments do  not  relate,  or  are  not  apt  to  relate,  to  the  same  thing. 
"We  do  not  speak,"  says  the  author,  "of  the  harmony  of  math- 
ematics and  chemistry,  or  of  zoology  and  astronomy,  or  the 


240  The  Life  Work  of 

reconciliation  of  physics  and  metaphysics."  Here  the  object- 
matter  of  the  sciences  specified  is  so  different  that  there  is  but 
little  chance  of  conflict.  The  statements  do  not  terminate  upon 
the  same  things,  and,  therefore,  no  harmony  of  positive  state- 
ment is  to  be  expected. 

Our  question  is  a  different  one.  It  arises  in  regard  to  those 
cases  in  which  the  Bible  and  science  speak  about  the  same 
thing — in  which  the  object-matter  is,  in  some  sense,  the  same. 
Here  there  is  a  chance  of  conflict ;  and  the  question  of  harmony 
or  disharmony  becomes  pertinent.  Tlie  distinction  which  has 
been  emphasized  is  one  that  cannot  be  overlooked. 

But  even  in  those  cases  in  which  the  object-matter  of  the 
statements  differs,  the  inquiry  occurs,  is  all  harmony  excluded? 
Every  truth  is,  in  some  sense,  harmonious  with  every  other 
truth.  It  constitutes  a  part  of  a  system  the  constituent  ele- 
ments of  which  are  consistent  with  each  other.  All  truth  tends 
to  unity.  There  is  a  common  relation  which  it  sustains  to  God 
as  at  once  its  author  and  its  end.  The  word  and  the  works  of 
God  concur  in  illustrating  His  perfections  and  subserving  His 
glory,  "The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God  and  the  firma- 
ment showeth  his  handy-work,"  and  the  Bible  echoes  these 
sublime  lessons  and  gives  them  an  articulate  utterance.  Nature 
and  Redemption  combine  to  swell  the  volume  of  praise  which 
ascends  to  their  common  author ;  and  science,  unless  it  could 
establish  a  claim  to  be  Godless,  should  harmonize  with  religion 
in  laying  its  offerings  of  worship  upon  a  common  altar.  Fur- 
ther than  this,  I  make  bold  to  say,  the  Bible  and  science  sustain 
a  common  relation  to  Christ  the  Mediator.  However  they  may 
now  differ  in  conse<:iuence  of  the  disturbing  influence  of  sin, 
they  are  destined  ultimately  to  come  into  harmony  at  his  cross 
and  to  kiss  each  other  there.  Their  absolute  divorce  is  illegiti- 
mate. What  God  has,  in  a  certain  sense,  joined  together,  let 
not  man  put  asunder.  I  fear  this  doctrine  of  a  total  separation 
of  the  Bible  and  science.  But  if,  as  has  been  briefly  intimated, 
there  is,  or  ought  to  be,  some  harmony  between  them,  all  har- 
mony cannot  be  excluded. 

Let  us,  however,  come  to  the  question  more  immediately 
before  us :  Are  we  to  expect  only  non-contradiction  and  not 
harmony,  where  the  Bible  and  science  make  statements  about 
the  same  thing — for  example,  the  origin  of  Adam's  body?  The 
exposition  lays  down  this  as  a   principle ;   and  this  has  been 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  241 

regarded  as  a  great  discovery.  Would  that  it  were!  It  would 
be  an  honor  to  the  author,  to  our  Seminary  and  to  our  Church. 
No  more  conflict  would  be  possible  between  the  Bible  and 
science.  A  permanent  peace  would  be  established  between  them 
— "a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished."  But  I  fear  more  is 
promised  than  can  be  performed. 

The  hope  that  a  principle  has  been  discovered  which  will 
hereafter  render  impossible  a  conflict  between  scientific  men 
and  the  Bible,  namely,  the  potent  principle  of  non-contradiction, 
will  prove  to  be  a  charming  but  delusive  dream.  As  well  might 
we  hope  to  discover  a  principle,  the  formulation  of  which  would 
arrest  the  conflict  between  the  Bible  and  the  Devil.  Sir,  ever 
since  the  fall  of  man,  there  have  been  two  parties  in  this  poor, 
sinful  world  that  are  in  irreconcilable  conflict  with  each  other ; 
the  seed  of  the  woman  and  the  seed  of  the  serpent ;  the  one 
headed  by  a  Divine-human  Redeemer,  the  other  by  the  arch- 
conspirator  against  God  and  His  elect  church.  Nor  will  that 
conflict  cease  until  the  final  apostasy  has  been  developed,  and 
the  hosts  of  Gog  and  Magog  led  by  Satan  shall  hurl  themselves 
in  one  last,  desperate  assault  against  the  camp  of  the  saints. 
Then  shall  that  final  blow  of  mediatorial  power  be  struck  which 
will  deliver  the  church  from  more  than  Egyptian  tyranny,  intro- 
duce her  into  an  everlasting  rest,  and  put  into  her  mouth  the 
triumphant  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb. 

The  exigencies  of  the  discussion  necessitate  the  examination 
of  the  distinction,  so  broadly  drawn,  between  non-contradiction 
and  harmony.  Is  it  true  that  two  statements  may  be  non-con- 
tradictory without  being  in  some  degree  harmonious?  There 
are  certain  fundamental  laws  of  thought  which  bear  upon  and 
regulate  all  the  processes  of  the  thinking  faculty.  They  are 
the  laws  of  Identity,  Contradiction,  or — as  some  prefer  to  call 
it — Non-contradiction,  and  Excluded  Middle  or  Third.  These 
laws  are  universally  applicable.  They  do  not,  it  is  true,  furnish 
the  matter  of  thought ;  but,  that  being  given,  wherever  the  rela- 
tions of  affirmation  and  negation  obtain  between  statements, 
there  they  assert  their  control.  And  as  the  question  before  us 
is  one  which  is  concerned  about  the  relations  between  the  state- 
ments of  science  and  those  of  the  Bible,  the  appeal  to  their 
authority  becomes  perfectly  legitimate. 

Now  these  laws  are  but  specific  explications  of  one  ultimate 
and  generic  principle,  upon  which  they  are  reducible  to  unity. 


242  The  Life  Work  of 

That  principle  is:  All  thought,  to  be  valid,  must  be  consistent, 
or  what  is  the  same  thing  harmonious,  with  itself.  Here  is  the 
radical  and  underlying  law  of  all  valid  thinking  upon  any  sub- 
ject— the  Harmony  of  Thought  with  itself. 

Let  us  apply  the  relation  of  this  generic  law  to  the  specific 
laws  which  have  been  indicated.  Under  the  operation  of  the 
law  of  Identity,  the  highest  form  is  realised  in  which  harmony 
of  thought  can  be  manifested.  A  thing  is  equal  to  itself:  a 
thing  is  the  same  as  itself:  in  these  respective  statements  no 
inconsistency  is  possible — complete  harmony  obtains.  If  two 
statements  upon  any  given  subject  are  identical  with  each  other, 
absolute  harmony  is  the  result.  The  Bible,  for  example,  says, 
the  sun  shines  :  science  says,  the  sun  shines :  These  statements 
being  identical,  perfect  harmony  exists.  The  Bible  says,  the 
body  of  Adam  was  made  of  the  dust  of  the  ground :  should 
science  say,  the  body  of  Adam  was  made  of  the  dust  of  the 
ground,  there  would  be  between  these  statements  the  harmony 
of  identity. 

Under  the  operation  of  the  second  law,  that  of  Contradiction, 
two  statements  may  be  conceived  as  contradicting  each  other. 
Here  there  is  no  harmony — there  is  the  perfect  absence  of 
harmony.  The  consequence  is  that  thought  is  estopped  from 
proceeding  further,  until  that  impediment  to  harmony  is 
removed.  Hence,  some  say — Sir  William  Hamilton,  for  instance 
— that  the  law  is  really  that  of  non-contradiction.  For,  where 
two  statements  sustain  simply  the  relation  of  non-contradiction, 
there  is,  although  not  the  highest,  yet  some,  harmony  between 
them — the  harmony,  not  of  identity,  but  of  non-contradiction. 
The  Bible  says,  the  body  of  Adam  was  made  of  dust.  Now,  if 
science  should  say,  the  body  of  Adam  was  not  made  of  dust,  the 
two  statements  would  be  flatly  contradictory,  and  there  would 
be  the  perfect  absence  of  harmony  between  them.  Or,  if  the 
Bible  be  interpreted  to  mean  that  Adam's  body  was  made  of 
inorganic  dust,  and  science  should  afiirm  that  Adam's  body  was 
not  made  of  inorganic  but  organic  dust,  there  would  be  a  con- 
tradiction between  the  two  statements,  and  all  harmony  would 
be  excluded.  But  if  the  Bible  says,  Adam's  body  was  made  of 
dust,  without  specifying  the  sort  of  dust,  and  science  should 
say,  Adam's  body  was  made  of  organic  dust,  it  might  be  held, 
as  by  some  in  this  debate,  that  the  two  statements  are  not  con- 
tradictory— that  there  is  between  them  simply  the  relation  of 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  243 

non-contradiction.  In  that  case,  the  hindrance  to  harmony,  it 
might  be  contended,  is,  in  a  measure,  removed.  It  might  be 
claimed,  that  there  would  exist  between  them  the  harmony 
which  consists  with  the  absence  of  contradiction. 

The  third  law — that  of  Excluded  Middle  or  Third,  requires 
that  where  two  statements  contradict  each  other,  one  must  be 
held  as  true  and  the  other  as  false.  No  middle  or  third  suppo- 
sition is  possible.  While  this  state  of  the  case  lasts,  no 
harmony  of  thought  is  possible.  We  must  elect  between  the 
contradictory  alternatives.  If,  then,  we  reject  one  of  the 
contradictories  as  false  and  choose  the  other  as  true,  we  har- 
monize our  thinking  with  our  previous  thinking.  The  obstacle 
to  the  progress  of  thought  is  taken  away,  and  we  move  on  har- 
moniously with  ourselves.  For  example  again,  if  the  Bible  is 
interpreted  as  saying,  Adam's  body  was  made  of  inorganic  dust, 
and  science  should  say,  Adam's  body  was  made  of  organic  dust, 
we  are  confronted  with  contradictory  statements.  All  harmony 
is  excluded,  and  while  that  contradiction  remains  in  force  all 
progress  of  thought  on  the  subject  is  blocked.  We  must,  in 
order  to  move  on,  elect  between  the  contradictory  statements. 
This,  of  course,  may  be  done  in  either  of  two  ways.  We  may 
reject  the  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  namely,  that  Adam's 
body  was  made  of  inorganic  dust,  as  the  false  alternative;  and 
then  we  would  be  shut  up  to  accept  as  true  the  contradictory 
scientific  alternative,  namely,  that  Adam's  body  was  made  of 
organic  dust.  Or,  on  the  other  hand,  we  may  reject  the  scientific 
affirmation  as  false,  and  then  we  would  be  necessitated  to  accept 
as  true  the  biblical  interpretation.  In  either  case,  we  remove 
the  barrier  to  the  progress  of  thought  erected  by  the  contra- 
diction, and  advance  consistently  with  ourselves ;  we  reach  that 
harmony  of  thinking  which  is  secured  by  the  application  of  the 
law  of  Excluded  Middle. 

From  this  analysis  of  the  fundamental  laws  which  regulate 
all  our  thinking  in  regard  to  the  relation  of  statements  to  each 
other,  it  follows  that  where  two  affirmations  referring  to  the 
same  subject  are  simply  non-contradictory,  there  is  not  the  com- 
plete absence  of  harmony.  The  relation,  it  is  true,  does  not 
involve  the  harmony  of  identity,  but  still  some  harmony  is 
implied.  What  the  author  of  the  exposition  of  the  relations 
between  the  Bible  and  Science  ought,  in  my  judgment,  to  have 
said  is,  Expect  not  the  harmony  of  identity  between  them.  That 


244  The  Life  Work  of 

principle  needed  clear  explication,  and  he  has  done  good  service 
in  calling  attention  to  its  importance.  With  that  I  have  no 
quarrel.  But  if  he  insist  on  meaning.  Expect  not  harmony 
between  the  statements  of  the  Bible  and  those  of  Science,  he 
would  throw  himself  in  revolt  against  the  fundamental  laws  of 
all  thinking.  That  principle  would  exclude  what  he  labors  to 
establish,  namely,  the  relation  of  non-contradiction  between  the 
statements  of  the  Bible  and  those  of  Science.  He  would  defeat 
his  own  intentions. 

The  author  says :  "We  are  not  to  look  for  harmony,  but  for 
non-contradiction."  The  true  view  is :  We  are  to  look  for  the 
harmony  of  non-contradiction.  The  principle  which  ought  to 
have  been  enounced  and  the  enouncement  of  which — I  say  it 
with  all  respect — must  have  been  really  intended,  is,  that  where 
the  Bible  and  science  speak  about  the  same  thing  we  are  not  to 
look  for  the  harmony  of  identical  statement,  but  for  the  har- 
mony of  non-contradictory  statements.  This  is  a  difficulty  in 
the  exposition  of  the  relations  between  the  Bible  and  science 
which  should  have  deterred  the  Board  of  Directors  from 
declaring  it  to  be  plain,  correct  and  satisfactory. 

(3.)  Another  defect  is,  that  when  the  exposition  provided 
for  the  case  in  which  the  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bibh^ 
is  contradicted  by  a  "proved  truth  of  science,"  it  ought,  for 
completeness'  sake,  to  have  noticed  the  complementary  case  in 
which  the  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible  is  contradicted 
by  a  disproved  assumption  of  science.  The  law,  that  of  two 
contradictories  one  is  true  and  the  other  false,  applies  equally 
to  both  cases.  Does  an  interpretation  of  the  Bible  contradict  a 
proved  truth  of  science?  The  interpretation  is,  of  course,  false, 
and  the  Christian  man  should  say:  Let  the  interpretation  go, 
and  admit  the  scientific  truth.  Does  an  interpretation  of  the 
Bible  contradict  a  disproved  assumption  of  science?  The 
assumption  is,  of  course,  false,  and  the  scientific  man  should 
say :  Let  the  assumption  go,  and  admit  the  truth  of  the  inter- 
pretation. One  of  these  things  is  as  important  as  the  other. 
The  exposition  omits  one,  and  favors  the  scientific  side.  It 
does  not  make  the  demand  upon  it  which  it  makes  upon  the 
other  side. 

(4.)  A  fourth  defect  is,  that  the  exposition  makes  no  pro- 
vision for  cases  in  which  the  Bible  and  unproved  scientific 
hypotheses  contradict  one  another.     Will  it  be  said,  that  th« 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  245 

principle  of  non-contradiction  is  the  only  one  which  should  be 
considered  as  holding  in  those  cases?  Why,  there  not  only  may 
be,  but  there  are  such  contradictions.  What  is  the  reason  of 
the  present  agitation?  Do  not  many  in  our  church  believe  and 
urge  the  existence  of  a  contradiction  between  the  Bible  and  Dr. 
Woodrow's  hypothesis  of  evolution?  This  is  sufficient  to  show 
that  the  principle  of  non-contradiction,  although  true  under 
limitations,  is  not  broad  enough  to  cover  all  cases  of  conflict. 
The  Board,  for  this  reason  also,  acted  unwisely  in  pronouncing 
an  authoritative  judgment  as  to  the  satisfactoriness  of  the  prin- 
ciples set  forth  in  the  Address. 

(5.)  The  last  defect  which  I  point  out  is,  that  the  exposition 
fails  to  define  with  accuracy  the  most  important  terms  in  the 
discussion ;  and  to  indicate  the  most  common  mode  in  which 
conflicts  occur  between  the  Bible  and  science,  and  the  way  in 
which  they  should  be  adjusted. 

The  term  science,  whatever  may  be  said  of  the  legitimacy  of 
the  practice,  is  actually  and  ordinarily  employed  in  different 
senses.  It  is  used  to  signify  that  which  is  true  science;  that 
which  is  a  true  interpretation  of  the  facts  of  nature.  Consid- 
ered in  this,  its  highest  and  absolute  sense,  it  is  an  accurate 
registrar  of  those  facts,  derives  from  them  good  and  necessary 
inferences,  and  makes  no  mistake  in  its  inductions  and  general- 
izations. But  we  also  apply  the  term  to  unverified  hypotheses 
in  regard  to  the  facts  of  nature  and  their  relations.  And  still 
further,  men  are  accustomed  to  speak  of  hypotheses  of  science 
which  have  been  exploded;  as  when  they  speak  of  the  scientific 
hypothesis  of  Ptolemy.  It  may  be  said  that  in  the  two  last 
named  instances  the  term  is  abusively  employed.  That  is  true, 
but  still  it  is  employed,  and  will  continue  to  be. 

The  same  thing  is  true  of  the  term  theology,  which  may  be 
cited  as  an  illustration.  There  is  a  true  theology,  a  theology  in 
the  highest  and  absolute  sense;  and  it  has  been  urged  that  to 
use  the  term  in  any  other  sense  is  to  employ  it  abusively.  But 
notwithstanding  this,  it  is  employed  in  senses  in  which  those 
who  use  it  believe  it  to  be  false.  So  Calvinists  are  accustomed 
to  speak  of  the  Armenian  theology  and  Arminian  theologians, 
and  Protestants  have  no  hesitation  in  talking  of  the  Romanist 
theology  and  Romanist  theologians. 

The  term  Bible  is  also  employed  in  widely  different  senses. 
There  is  an  absolute  sense  in  which  it  is  infallibly  and  un- 


246  The  Life  Work  of 

changeably  true.  When  we  use  the  term  in  this  sense,  we 
designate  the  meaning  of  the  Scriptures  which  God  Himself, 
their  author,  intended  them  to  convey.  In  emphasising  this 
signification,  I  am  supported  by  Dr.  Woodrow,  in  the  Address 
delivered  at  his  inauguration  as  Perliins  Professor  in  the  Sem- 
inary. "Believing  firmly  and  cordially,"  he  said,  "that  every 
part  of  the  Bible  is  the  very  word  of  God,  and  that,  therefore, 
every  part  of  it  is  absolutely  true,  in  the  sense  in  which  it  was 
the  design  of  its  real  Author,  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  it  should  be 
understood,"  etc. 

There  is  also  a  relative  sense  in  which  the  word  Bible  is 
obliged  to  be  accepted — the  sense  in  which  it  is  the  Bible  rela- 
tively to  our  apprehension  of  its  meaning.  The  interpretations 
which  we  honestly  place  upon  it  constitute  it  the  Bible  for  us — 
our  ultimate  standard  of  judgment  in  matters  of  faith  and  prac- 
tice. Now  these  interpretations  may  or  may  not  coincide  with 
the  ahsolute  meaning  of  the  Bible.  If  they  do,  they  are  as 
unchanging  as  that  meaning  itself.  If  they  do  not,  they  are  a 
fluctuating  quantity,  and  are  liable  to  be  modified  or  even 
abandoned.  But  whether  or  not  the  Church's  interpretation  of 
the  Bible  be  identical  with  its  absolute  and  infallible  meaning, 
so  long  as  she  sincerely  believes  it  so  to  be,  it  is  the  Bible  to 
her. 

Let  me  illustrate  this  distinction  by  a  reference  to  conscience 
as  the  law  of  God  impressed  upon  our  moral  constitution.  Had 
not  man  sinned  his  intellectual  interpretation  of  the  law  given 
in  consequence  would  have  coincided  with  the  law  itself.  But 
as  he  is  a  sinner,  his  intellectual  judgments  colored  by  the  feel- 
ings are  liable  to  impose  incorrect  interpretations  upon  the  law. 
Here  there  is  an  absolute  and  a  relative  sense  of  the  law  of 
conscience.  Still  although  the  relative  and  interpretative  sense 
may  not  coincide  with  the  absolute,  it  becomes  the  regulative 
standard  of  action.  In  such  a  case,  if  one  comply  with  its 
requirements  he  does  what  is  materially,  if  he  does  not,  what 
is  formally,  wrong.  The  application  is  easy  to  the  analogous 
distinction  in  hand. 

Another  illustration  is  furnished  by  the  principle  of  the 
relativity  of  knowledge.  Of  existence  not  related  to  our  cog- 
nitive faculties  we  can  know  nothing.  But  the  measure  of  our 
knowledge  is  not  the  measure  of  existence.  Because  the  mind 
of  man  cannot  compass  the  universe,  we  cannot  say  there  is  no 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  247 

universe.  There  may  be,  there  must  be,  a  vast  body  of  truth 
in  the  realm  of  nature  which  lies  beyond  the  scope  of  our 
faculties;  and  there  are  mysterious  principles  and  forces  con- 
nected with  the  phenomena  which  are  in  relation  to  our  faculty 
of  observation — recondite  laws,  with  which  our  interpretations 
of  the  obtrusive  facts  of  nature  may  or  may  not  coincide. 
There  is  an  absolute  and  a  relative  sense  of  nature.  Who  is 
there  bold  enough  to  say  that  his  knowledge  of  nature  exhausts 
its  meaning?  Even  so,  there  are  heights  and  depths  in  the  word 
of  God  which  we  are  unable  to  reach  with  our  limited  faculties. 
Of  that  illimitable  system  of  truth  revealed  to  us  in  the 
Scriptures,  w^e  certainly  possess  a  part  under  the  illumination 
of  the  Holy  Ghost;  but  it  would  be  the  climax  of  arrogance  to 
claim  that  we  know  the  whole.  Hence  the  possibility  of  growth 
in  our  subjective  apprehension  of  doctrines  which  in  themselves 
are  unchangeable.  Hence  the  duty  of  conforming  our  knowl- 
edge more  and  more  to  the  highest  and  absolute  meaning  of  the 
Bible.  Hence,  too,  the  differing  interpretations  of  the  Scrip- 
tures by  the  people  of  God.  The  Baptists  and  their  opponents, 
for  example,  differ  in  regard  to  the  mode  and  significance  of 
baptism.  It  is  perfectly  clear  that  both  cannot  have  the  abso- 
lute sense  of  the  Bible  in  relation  to  that  ordinance. 

It  is  evident  that  any  discussion  of  the  relations  between  the 
Bible  and  science  which  fails  to  note  these  distinctions  must 
lead  to  confusion  of  thought.  Between  the  Bible  in  its  absolute 
sense  as  the  very  word  of  God,  and  science  in  its  absolute  sense 
as  a  true  interpretation  of  the  facts  of  nature,  it  is  unnecessary 
to  say  there  can  be  no  contradiction.  They  are  both  revelations 
of  God's  truth.  Between  the  Bible,  as  interpreted  by  the 
church  composed  of  uninspired  and  fallible  men,  and  science 
in  its  absolute  sense,  contradiction  is  possible;  and  it  is  also 
possible  between  false  science  or  even  hypothetical  science  and 
the  Bible  in  its  absolute  sense.  Here  again  we  find  a  reason 
why  the  Board  should  have  paused  before  emitting  the  unqual- 
ified judgment  of  approval  which  is  now  under  consideration. 

In  the  next  place,  neither  is  the  mode  indicated  in  which 
conflicts  between  the  Bible  and  science  most  commonly  occur, 
nor  the  way  in  which  they  may  be  adjusted.  I  have  admitted 
that  no  contradiction  is  possible  between  the  Bible,  as  it  is 
what  God  its  author  intended  it  to  mean,  and  science  as  the  true 
interpretation  of  the  facts  of  nature.     As  no  contradiction  is 


248  The  Life  Work  of 

possible,  no  contradiction  can  take  place.  There  is  no  difference 
of  view  between  us  here.  But  of  what  practical  value  with 
reference  to  conflicts  would  be  this  old  principle  were  it  uni- 
versally accepted?  Admit  here  the  principle  of  non-contradic- 
tion, and  what  conflict  wnll  be  settled?  None;  for,  according 
to  the  supposition,  there  is  no  conflict  to  be  settled.  What 
conflict  will  be  prevented?  None;  for,  according  to  the  suppo- 
sition, no  conflict  is  possible.  We  have  a  principle  for  prevent- 
ing an  impossible  event ;  a  rule  of  action  for  avoiding  impossible 
actions !  We  need  a  principle  to  help  us,  a  rule  of  action  to 
guide  us,  when  conflicts  actually  occur,  as  occur  they  inevitably 
will. 

If  all  men  held  the  Bible  in  the  sense  which  was  intended  by 
its  Author,  accepted  its  real  and  absolute  meaning,  and  all  nieii 
knew  the  real  facts  and  processes  of  nature ;  ah,  then  our  prin- 
ciple of  non-contradiction  would  be  mighty.  We  would  be  in 
Paradise.  But  men  will  put,  must  put,  their  interpretations 
upon  the  Bible  and  nature  alike,  and  it  is  ordinarily  between 
these  interpretations  that  contradiction,  in  an  imperfect  and 
sinful  world,  occurs.  You  may  cry,  non-contradiction  !  as  much 
as  you  please,  and  the  shouts  of  conflict  will  be  your  answer. 

I  admit,  also,  that  Dr.  Woodrow's  principle  that  our  interpre- 
tations of  the  Bible  must  square  with  the  proved  truths  of 
science  is  perfectly  true.  And  here,  I  must  say,  he  has  been 
incorrectly  represented  by  some  of  his  critics.  But,  in  such 
cases,  the  conflict  is  ended.  The  church  must  yield,  has  ever 
yielded,  an  interpretation  of  the  Bible  contradictory  to  a  settled 
conclusion  of  science.  We  still  want  a  principle,  a  rule  of 
action,  which  will  help  us  when  the  actual  conflict  is  upon  us. 
The  mode  in  which  contradiction  and  conflict  emerge  is  the 
opposition  between  the  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible  and 
scientific  hypotheses.  It  is  really  not  a  conflict  between  the 
Bible  itself  and  science  itself,  but  tetween  the  church's  Bible 
and  the  scientific  man's  science.  The  contradiction  is  between 
theology  and  scientific  hypotheses. 

What  ought  the  church  to  do  in  such  cases?  Shall  she  give 
up  her  Bible — the  Bible  as  she  interprets  it — for  unverified 
scientific  hypotheses  which  contradict  it?  That  is  the  great  and 
practical  question,  the  decision  of  which  is  big  with  momentous 
consequences.  It  is  a  defect  in  the  exposition  of  the  relations 
between  the  Bible  and  science,  that  it  does  not  undertake  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  249 

settlement  of  that  question.  Of  this  we  are  now  witnesses. 
This  Synod  has  just  such  a  conflict  upon  it.  Could  it  adjust 
the  issue  by  consulting  the  principles  of  the  address? 

3.  It  may  be  added  that  the  action  of  the  Board  involves 
them  in  inconsistency  with  themselves. 

They  endorse  Dr.  Woodrow's  exposition  of  the  relations 
between  the  Bible  and  science  as  plain,  correct  and  satisfactory. 
It  follows,  that  they  endorse  his  exposition  of  the  relation 
between  the  Bible  and  his  science.  But  they  declare  that  they 
are  not  prepared  to  endorse  his  hypothesis  of  evolution  as  (o 
Adam's  body.  Why?  Manifestly  because  they  could  not  see 
how  it  is  consistently  related  to  the  Bible.  The  exposition  of 
the  relations  between  the  Bible  and  science  is  plain,  correct  and 
satisfactory ! 

Here  is  an  inconsistency  in  the  action  of  the  Board  which 
should  restrain  the  Synod  from  approving  that  action.  For, 
unless  the  Synod  is  prepared  to  say  that  it  believes  Dr.  Wood- 
row's  hypothesis  of  evolution  to  be  consistent  with  Scrii)(:ure, 
it  would,  by  concurring  in  the  action  of  the  Board,  implicate 
itself  in  the  same  inconsistency  with  them. 

[Other  strictures  were  passed  upon  the  action  of  the  Board, 
but  they  are  here  omitted,  as  they  had  a  passing  value  during 
the  progress  of  the  discussion,  and  I  have  no  motive  to  give 
them  further  utterance.] 

Let  me  now  briefly  recapitulate  the  reasons  which  have  been 
urged,  why  this  Synod  should  not,  by  its  solemn  judgnjent, 
approve  the  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  formally  i)ro- 
nouncing  the  exposition  of  the  relations  between  the  Bible  and 
science  plain,  correct  and  satisfactory. 

First,  The  assertion  that  the  Bible  does  not  teach  scien<;e 
needed  further  qualifications  than  were  actually  expressed. 

Secondly.  The  affirmation  that  we  are  not  to  look  for  har- 
mony, but  merely  non-contradiction,  between  the  statements  of 
the  Bible  and  those  of  science,  is  a  departure  from  the  funda- 
mental laws  of  all  thinking. 

Thirdly,  The  exposition,  while  it  provides  for  cases  in  which 
the  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible  and  a  proved  truth  of 
science  contradict  each  other,  makes  no  provision  for  cases  in 
which  the  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible  and  a  disproved 
assumption  of  science  contradict  each  other.  It  gives  the 
advantage  to  science. 


250  The  Life  Work  of 

Fourthly,  The  exposition  has  nothing  to  say  about  the  con- 
tradiction between  the  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible  and 
an  unproved  scientific  hypothesis.    This  is  a  signal  omission. 

Fifthly,  The  exposition  furnishes  no  accurate  definitions  of 
the  vitally  important  terms  science  and  tJie  Bihle;  fails  to  indi- 
cate the  mode  in  which  conflicts  generally  occur  between  the 
Bible  and  science ;  and  offers  no  rule  of  action  to  guide  us  when 
conflicts  actually  arise. 

Sixthly,  The  Board  of  Directors  were,  in  the  action  in  ques- 
tion, inconsistent  with  themselves. 

II. — The  second  question,  which  I  propose  to  discuss,  is  in 
regard  to  the  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  concerning  the 
teaching  of  Dr.  Woodrow's  hypothesis  of  evolution  in  our  The- 
ological Seminary. 

The  Board  virtually,  but  formally  and  authoritatively,  ap- 
proved its  teaching.*  The  minority  of  the  Board  protested,  and 
affirmed  the  position  that  it  should  not  be  permitted.  I  oppose 
the  Board's  action  and  maintain  the  view  of  the  minority.  I 
contend  that  this  Synod  ought  to  reverse  the  action  of  the 
Board,  and  prohibit  the  teaching  of  Dr.  Woodrow's  hypothesis 
in  the  Theological  Seminary.  By  teaching  it  I  mean,  not  the 
exposition  of  it  as  an  unproved  hypothesis,  but  the  inculcation 
and  defence  of  it  as  either  a  proved  or  a  probable  hypothesis. 

The  question,  I  conceive,  is  not.  Is  the  Synod  called  upon 
to  say  whether  Dr.  Woodrow's  view  contradicts  the  Bible  in 
its  absolute  sense?  As  the  distinction  has  already  been  signal- 
ized between  the  absolute  meaning  of  the  Bible  as  that  which 
God,  its  author,  intended  it  to  bear,  and  its  relative  meaning 
as  that  which  exists  to  the  church  interpreting  it,  that  dis- 
tinction need  not  now  be  explained.  It  would  seem  to  be  clear 
that  contradiction  to  the  Bible  in  one  of  these  senses  is  not 
necessarily  the  same  as  contradiction  to  it  in  the  other. 

I  trust  that  the  Synod  will  not  undertake  to  decide,  and  pro- 
nounce upon,  the  question  whether  Dr.  Woodrow's  view  con- 
tradicts the  Bible  in  its  absolute,  infallible  sense,  for  reasons 
which  I  will  briefly  state. 

In  the  first  place,  our  knowledge  is  not  sufficient  to  warrant 
us  in  dogmatising  upon  that  question.     In  order  to  its  dogmatic 


*The   Board   did  not   approve   the  view,  but  by   permitting  it  to  be 
taught,  they  approved  the  teaching. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  251 

decision,  we  would  require  to  possess  perfect  certainty  as  to 
the  correctness  of  our  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  upon 
this  point,  and  perfect  certainty  as  to  our  interpretation  of 
nature  in  regard  to  it.  But  as  we  are  not  gifted  with  infalli- 
bility in  either  respect,  our  liability  to  err  should  check  the 
utterance  of  an  authoritative  judgment  in  the  premises. 

In  the  second  place,  it  becomes  us  to  heed  the  cautions  fur- 
nished by  the  history  of  the  church.  It  cannot  be  denied  that 
she  has  sometimes  grievously  blundered  in  pronouncing  determ- 
inative judgments  upon  questions  of  science,  with  reference  to 
which  her  policy  was  to  be  silent.  There  is  always  the  danger 
of  such  mistakes,  the  consequences  of  which  must  needs  be 
deplorable.  Should  the  church  commit  them,  she  is  subjected 
to  the  humiliation  of  recanting  her  error,  and  there  follows  a 
disastrous  reaction  upon  the  trustworthiness  of  her  whole 
teaching.  Confidence  in  her  authority  as  a  spiritual  guide  is, 
at  least  to  some  extent,  impaired. 

In  the  third  place,  should  we  decide  that  Dr.  Woodrow's  view 
contradicts  the  Bible  in  its  absolute  sense,  we  would  not  only 
declare  that  it  ought  not  to  be  taught  in  a  Presbyterian  school, 
but  that  no  Christian  man  has  a  right  to  hold  it.  Are  we  pre- 
pared to  do  that? 

The  question  which,  in  my  judgment,  is  really  before  the 
Synod  is  in  regard  to  the  relation  between  Dr.  Woodrow's 
hypothesis  and  the  Bible  as  our  church  interprets  it:  between 
this  scientific  view  and  our  Bible — the  Bible  as  it  is  to  us. 
This  is  our  court  of  last  resort,  our  ultimate  standard  of  judg- 
ment; and,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  must  be.  This  being, 
as  I  apprehend  it,  the  state  of  the  question,  the  first  proposition 
which  I  shall  lay  down  for  the  Synod's  consideration  is : 

A  scientific  hypothesis  which  has  not  been  proved,  so  as  to 
have  become  an  established  theory  of  law,  and  which  is  con- 
trary to  our  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  and  to  her 
prevailing  and  recognized  views,  ought  not  to  be  inculcated  and 
maintained  in  our  Theological  Seminaries. 

I  argue  this  from  the  nature  and  design  of  a  theological 
school.  It  is  contradistinguished  to  secular  schools.  It  is  estab- 
lished and  supported  by  the  church.  Its  nature  and  end  are, 
therefore,  ecclesiastical.  It  is  designed  to  teach  what  the 
church  holds  and  believes.  For  it  to  teach  the  contrary  is  to 
violate  its  very  nature  and  end.     The  church  has  the  right  to 


252  The  Life  Work  of 

require,  is  solemnly  bound  to  require,  that  her  doctrines  be 
taught,  and  that  what  is  contrary  to  her  doctrines  be  not 
taught.  Otherwise,  the  results  must  be  flagrant  inconsistency, 
unfaithfulness  to  her  convictions  of  truth,  recreancy  to  sacred 
trusts  and  deliberate  suicide.  And  in  the  event  of  a  view, 
opposed  to  her  own,  being  supported  by  great  talents  and 
acquirements,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  scientific  hypotheses, 
beyond  effective  resistance  by  the  other  chairs,  she  actually 
makes  arrangements  for  the  overthrow  of  her  own  views.  She 
arranges  for  her  own  sacrifice, 

A  theological  seminary  is  peculiarly,  distinctively,  entirely,  a 
church  school;  and  so  is  different  from  institutions  which, 
although  they  may  have  some  connection  with  the  church,  are 
partly  maintained  by  other  influences  than  her  own. 

The  great  end  of  a  theological  seminary,  I  have  urged,  is  to 
teach  the  church's  interpretation  of  the  word  of  God.  For  this 
it  exists;  this  is  the  law  of  its  being.  All  other  things  are  inci- 
dental and  subordinate  to  this,  its  chief  end.  The  teaching  of 
Hebrew  and  Greek  is  not  for  their  own  sake.  The  Seminary  is 
not  a  classic  school.  The  end  is  the  correct  interpretation  of 
God's  word  in  the  original  text.  But  this  interpretation  must 
accord  with  the  church's  Standards,  or  the  teacher,  breaking 
with  the  church,  ought  to  be  silent  on  the  points  of  difference, 
or  else  retire.  The  teaching  of  Rhetoric  is  not  for  its  own  sake. 
It  is  a  means,  the  end  of  which  is  the  powerful  preaching  of 
the  Gospel.  The  Seminary  is  not  a  school  of  Rhetoric.  The 
teaching  of  science  is  not  for  its  own  sake.  The  end  is  the 
defence  of  the  Scriptures  from  infidel  assaults.  The  church- 
school  is  not  a  scientific  school.  The  same  principle  holds  in 
regard  to  the  teaching  of  Metaphysics  and  Moral  Philosophy. 
The  fact  is,  that  our  church  does  not  formally  provide  for  the 
teaching  of  those  branches,  as  she  does  for  that  of  others  men- 
tioned. But  if  she  did,  the  same  principle  would  apply.  They 
would  not  be  taught  for  their  own  sake,  but  to  facilitate  the 
mastery  of  theology  and  vindicate  the  Scriptures  against  the 
attacks  of  an  infidel  philosophy.  The  Seminary  is  not  a  school 
of  philosophy — of  Plato  or  Aristotle  or.Zeno,  of  Locke  or  Kant 
or  Hamilton — it  is  a  school  of  Christ.  These  teachings  may  all 
be  used  to  illustrate,  to  elucidate,  to  defend  the  church's  inter- 
pretation of  the  Bible;  never  to  gainsay,  to  weaken,  to  dis- 
prove it. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  253 

Further,  our  own  Seminary  was  not  designed  simply  to  teach 
the  Scriptures.  Every  theological  seminary  of  every  evan- 
gelical denomination  is  designed  to  teach  the  Scriptures.  There 
must  be  something  distinctive  to  mark  off  ours  from  others — 
some  specific  difference.  What  is  it?  This:  ours  was  designed 
to  teach  the  Scriptures  as  interpreted  by  the  Presbyterian 
Church ;  and  is  now  maintained  for  the  purpose  of  teaching 
them  as  interpreted  by  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church. 
This  is  too  plain  to  need  argument.  The  teachings  of  our  sacred 
school  must  conform  to  this  end,  or  they  become  self-contra- 
dictory, injurious,  fatal. 

The  conclusion  is  obvious.  Such  being  the  nature  and  design 
of  a  theological  seminary,  that  which  contravenes  them  ought 
not  to  be  taught  in  its  halls. 

Even  a  proved  truth  of  science  ought  not  to  be  inculcated  in 
a  theological  seminary  when  it  contradicts  our  Standards  as 
the  church's  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures.  The  only  true 
course,  in  this  case,  is  for  the  church  authoritatively  to  ex- 
punge the  untrue  interpretation  and  substitute  for  it  that  which 
has  been  proved  to  be  true.  But,  until  that  is  done,  the  Stand- 
ards unchanged  are  the  law  by  which  all  official  teaching  must 
be  regulated.  That  law  cannot  be  legitimately  resisted  and 
violated.  The  teacher  is  not  the  .iudge;  the  church  alone  is 
judge,  in  the  premises. 

We  hear  much,  in  connection  with  the  proceedings  before  us, 
of  strict  compliance  with  the  law,  the  constitutional  law,  the 
written  law.  Down  with  all  interpretations,  opinions,  views, 
but  that  law !  Well,  with  what  grace  could  an  official  teacher, 
who  inculcates  views  contrary  to  that  law,  appeal  to  the  same 
law  for  his  vindication?  In  the  Seminary  the  law  is  of  no 
force,  but  in  the  Board  or  in  the  Synods  it  is  supreme ! 

If  there  be  a  principle  of  great  practical  consequence  which 
we  are  now  called  upon  to  establish,  it  is  that  until  our  Stand- 
ards, as  our  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures,  be,  as  to  points 
objected  to,  changed  in  a  constitutional  way,  no  professor  in  a 
Theological  Seminary  has  the  right  to  oppose  what  they  teach 
and  to  shake  the  confidence  of  his  pupils  and  of  the  church  in 
them.  Not  even  when  he  is  conscientiously  convinced  that  cer- 
tain elements  contained  in  them  are  untrue,  has  he  the  right, 
as  professor,  to  teach  the  contrary.    His  duty  as  to  those  chal- 


254  The  Life  Work  of 

lenged  elements  is  to  be  silent  or  else  to  withdraw.  But  of  this 
further  on. 

An  unproved  scientific  hypothesis  ought  not  to  be  inculcated 
in  a  Theological  Seminary,  when  that  hypothesis  is  contrary  to 
the  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  not  only  because  of 
the  reasons  already  presented,  but  because  such  an  hypothesis 
may  never  be  verified.  In  that  event  the  church  would  be  con- 
victed of  having  taught  scientific  error.  She  would  be  obliged 
to  retreat  from  her  position  and  confess  her  sin. 

This  makes  it  perfectly  evident,  that  the  church  is  bound  to 
adhere  to  her  interpretations  of  the  Scriptures  until  they  are 
proved  to  be  incorrect.  Only  then  ought  she  to  abandon  or 
modify  them.  But  it  is  clear  that  she  has  not  reached  that 
point  when  she  is  only  confronted  with  unproved  hypotheses. 
What  a  wretched  course  it  would  be  for  the  cliurch  to  sur- 
render her  views  at  the  demand  of  unverified  hypotheses !  Who 
would  confide  in  her  stability?  Who  would  not  pronounce  her 
fickle?  Fallible  she  is,  but  she  is  in  some  degree  guided  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  her  interpretations  of  His  word.  She  has  the 
promise  of  that  guidance;  and  she  would  be  untrue  to  her 
dependence  on  this  illumination,  were  she  to  give  up  her  views 
at  the  challenge  of  hypotheses  not  yet  established  upon  com- 
petent evidence. 

These  considerations  are  immensely  enhanced  by  the  fact 
which  should  not  in  this  discussion  be  lost  sight  of  but  noticed 
and  marked,  that  there  have  been  instances  in  the  church's 
history  in  which  she  maintained  her  hold  upon  her  old  inter- 
pretations of  Scripture  in  the  face  of  opposing  scientific 
hyi)otheses,  and  in  which  she  was  subsequently  proved  to  have 
been  right  by  the  weight  of  scientific  evidence  itself.  In  such 
conflicts  had  she  yielded  to  the  pressure  upon  her  and  let  go 
her  grasp  upon  her  old  views,  what  lamentable  consequences 
would  have  resulted  I  The  hypothesis  of  the  Specific  Diversity 
of  the  Human  Races  as  opposed  to  the  church's  doctrine  of  the 
Unity  of  the  Race,  within  the  memory  of  some  here  present, 
was  almost  as  freely  discussed  as  is  now  the  hypothesis  of 
Evolution.  The  church  was  agitated,  but  she  adhered  to  her 
received  interpretation  of  the  Bible  upon  that  point,  and  subse- 
quent developments  have  served  to  justify  the  conservative 
position  she  then  maintained.  The  same  thing  has  been  true, 
in  part,  of  the  hypothesis  of  the  extreme  Antiquity  of  ]Man  as 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  255 

being  at  variance  with  the  church's  view  of  the  biblical  chron- 
ology, and  ever  and  anon  coming  to  the  front.  So,  also,  the 
hypothesis  of  Spontaneous  Generation  at  one  time  bade  fair  to 
receive  the  suffrages  of  the  scientific  world  as  an  ascertained 
truth;  but  Huxley  himself  has  declared  that  Pasteur  gave  it 
its  finishing  stroke.  The  church,  too,  has  held  her  ground 
against  formidable  objections,  derived  from  the  hypothesis  of 
the  Original  Diversity  of  Languages,  to  her  doctrine  of  their 
Original  Unity. 

The  inference  from  these  facts  scarcely  needs  to  be  pressed 
before  a  body  like  this,  which  has  been  distinguished  by  its  con- 
servatism, and  its  tenacious  adherence  to  the  traditional  faith 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Suppose  that  in  the  instances 
cited,  in  which  the  Church's  old,  recognized  interpretations  of 
the  Bible  came,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  into  conflict  with 
unproved  scientific  hypotheses,  she  had  with  a  fatal  readiness 
yielded,  and  squared  her  views  with  their  demands,  who  could 
estimate  the  damaging  results  which  would  have  ensued? 

The  application  is  plain  to  the  hypothesis  now  under  consid- 
eration. If  it  can  be  shown  to  be  a  mere  hypothesis  not  yet 
verified  and  established  as  a  settled  conclusion  of  science,  like 
the  Copernican  theory  or  the  law  of  gravitation,  can  we  resist 
the  obligation,  enforced  as  well  by  the  history  of  past  conflicts 
as  by  the  requirements  of  conservatism  and  self-consistency,  to 
cling  to  our  old  view  until  it  shall  have  been  proved  to  be 
untrue  and  therefore  untenable?  And  if  that  course  be  the 
dictate  of  policy  and  duty  alike,  are  we  not  bound  as  a  Synod 
to  prohibit  the  inculcation  and  defence  of  this  hypothesis  in  the 
sacred  school,  of  whose  purity  of  doctrine  we  are  one  of  the 
responsible  guardians? 

It  cannot  be  left  to  scientific  men  to  determine  what  is  or  is 
not  to  be  taught  in  our  Theological  Seminaries;  nor  can  it  be 
left  to  any  professor,  whatever  may  be  his  department  of 
instruction,  to  determine  that  question.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
describe  the  injurious  effects  of  such  liberty.  They  are  patent 
to  the  least  reflection.  Who  are  to  determine  this  all-important 
question?  Proximately,  the  Board  of  Directors;  but  only  prox- 
imately :  ultimately  the  Associated  Synods.  They  have  the 
power  to  make  the  Constitution  of  the.  Seminary,  and  therefore 
the  power  to  say  what  is  or  is  not  to  be  taught  in  its  chairs. 
They  have  the  ultimate  authority  to  control  the  matter  of  the 


256  The  Life  Work  of 

views  which  are  inculcated.  It  is  not,  I  repeat  it,  the  Pro- 
fessors, or  even  the  Board  of  Directors,  but  these  Synods,  who 
are  ultimately  to  determine  what  is  or  is  not  to  be  taught  in 
the  Seminary.  And  for  the  discharge  of  this  most  important 
and  solemn  function,  the  Synods  are  responsible  before  the 
church  at  large  and  to  their  divine  Lord  and  Judge. 

Another  thing  vital  to  this  discussion  must  not  be  over- 
looked :  I  mean  the  manifest  distinction  between  a  Christian 
man  and  an  official  teacher.  The  terms  of  admission  into  the 
church  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  terms  of  admission 
into  the  teaching  office.  This  is  true  of  all  official  teachers  of 
every  grade  in  the  church — ruling  elders  and  preaching  elders ; 
and  is  eminently  true  of  the  teachers  of  teachers,  the  Professors 
in  our  Theological  Seminaries,  the  Normal  Institutes  of  the 
church.  We  cannot  dictate  to  a  Professor  what,  as  a  man,  he 
is  to  believe  and  hold.  "God  alone  is  Lord  of  the  conscience." 
We  are  not  sovereigns — no,  sir,  we  are  not  even  co-ordinates, 
in  the  domain  of  private  judgment.  Into  that  inner  sanctuary 
none  may  enter  but  the  soul  and  its  God.  But  it  is  our  right, 
it  is  our  duty,  to  dictate  what,  as  a  teacher  in  his  official 
capacity,  a  Professor  can  or  can  not  teach  in  a  Theological 
Seminary.  It  is  our  right,  and  it  is  now  our  duty,  to  say 
whether  the  Perkins  Professor,  as  an  official  teacher  and  a  ser- 
vant of  the  church,  can  or  can  not  inculcate  his  hypothesis  of 
evolution  in  our  Theological  Seminary. 

It  is  urged  that  all  the  Professors  in  the  Seminary  do  what 
the  Perkins  Professor  is  alleged  to  do ;  and  that  therefore  a 
judgment  adverse  to  his  teaching  would  be  also  opposed  to 
theirs.  The  principle  to  be  here  observed  is,  that  if  a  view 
taught  by  any  Professor  is  contrary  to  the  general  judgment 
of  the  church  he  must  be  sure,  he  must  be  able  to  show,  that  it 
is  positively  supported  by  the  Standards.  This  alone  would 
justify  him  in  throwing  himself  against  the  general  views  of 
the  church.  But  if  the  church's  views  and  the  Standards  coin- 
cide, he  must  refrain  from  inculcating  the  objectionable  tenet. 

Now,  is  the  ground  taken  that  all  the  Professors  in  the  Sem- 
inary teach  views  which  are  opposed  to  the  general  judgment 
of  the  church?  And  is  it  asserted  that  there  has  been  a  public 
expression  of  opinion  to  that  effect?  If  not,  where  is  the  like- 
ness between  the  Perkins  Professor's  teachings  and  those  of  the 
other  Professors?     It  is  clear  that  there  is  none.     And  have 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  257 

the  other  Professors  been  led  by  public  opinion  to  point  out  the 
relation  of  the  views  they  teach  to  the  Bible?  If  not,  then  I 
ask  again,  where  is  the  likeness  between  the  cases?  There  is 
none.  For  it  is  perfectly  certain  that  Dr.  Woodrow's  views 
have  been  challenged,  and  that  he  has  been  led  to  indicate  the 
relations  of  science  in  general  to  the  Bible  and  the  relation  to 
it  of  his  hypothesis  of  evolution  in  particular.  Were  the  other 
Professors  similarly  situated  with  himself,  their  cases  as  well 
as  his  ought  to  have  been  before  the  Board  of  Directors,  and 
so  may  have  been  before  the  Synod  for  consideration. 

But  it  will  be  said  that  this  is  not  the  whole  of  the  argument, 
nor  its  chief  point.  No ;  but  it  is  a  part  of  the  argument,  and 
that,  I  submit,  has  been  answered.  And  now  for  the  chief 
point :  it  is  that  every  other  Professor  than  the  Perkins  Pro- 
fessor teaches,  as  well  as  he,  certain  things  between  which  and 
the  Bible  there  is  no  harmony.  The  object-matter  of  them  is 
such  that  the  Bible  has  nothing  to  say  about  them;  there  is 
simply  the  relation  of  non-contradiction.  Ah,  here  is  the  mighty 
principle  of  non-contradiction.  It  is  applied  to  all  the  chairs. 
If  all  the  others  teach  certain  things  between  which  and  the 
Bible  there  is  simply  the  relation  of  non-contradiction,  why 
may  not  the  Perkins  chair  do  the  same  thing?  And  if  it  is  to 
be  condemned  for  doing  that  thing,  why  should  not  the  others 
share  the  condemnation,  seeing  they  do  the  same? 

Let  us  specify.  The  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  teaches 
Hebrew,  Greek  and  Philology.  Between  these  and  the  Bible 
there  is  simply  the  relation  of  non-contradiction.  Granted. 
The  Professor  of  Church  History  teaches  the  canons  of  His- 
torical Criticism.  Between  them  and  the  Bible  there  is  simply 
the  relation  of  non-contradiction.  Granted.  A  Professor  teaches 
Rhetoric.  Betw^een  that  and  the  Bible  there  is  the  same  rela- 
tion. Granted.  The  Professor  of  Systematic  Theology  teaches 
Metaphysics.  Between  it  and  the  Bible  there  is  simply  the 
relation  of  non-contradiction.  Hold !  Not  granted.  There  may 
be  the  relation  of  contradiction.  Should  he  inculcate  even  the 
probable  truth  of  Idealism,  or  Materialism,  or  Pantheism,  or 
Agnosticism,  would  not  the  church  say  that  his  teachings  con- 
tradict the  Bible  as  she  interprets  it?  And  would  she  not 
arrest  such  teachings? 

The  Perkins  Professor  teaches  Natural  Science.  Between  it 
and  the  Bible  there  is  simply  the  relation  of  non-contradiction. 


258  The  Life  Work  of 

Hold,  again !  Not  granted !  It  might  be  that  there  would  obtain 
simply  the  harmony  of  non-contradiction.  But  it  might  be, 
also,  that  there  would  exist  the  dis-harmony  of  contradiction. 
While  Dr.  Woodrow  taught  evolution  expositorily,  without 
expressing  any  opinion  in  its  favor,  he  taught,  as  I  conceive, 
nothing  contradictory  to  the  Bible.  But  now  when  he  an- 
nounces himself  as  holding  it  as  probable,  under  limitations, 
the  church  says :  Your  view  contradicts  my  interpretation  of 
the  Bible;  and  as  my  interpretation  of  the  Bible  is  the  Bible 
to  me,  your  view  contradicts  the  Bible.  The  relation,  then, 
between  his  hypothesis  and  the  Bible  is,  in  the  church's  judg- 
ment, not  that  simply  of  non-contradiction.  The  analogy,  which 
is  alleged  to  exist  between  Dr.  Woodrow's  hypothesis  of  evolu- 
tion and  the  matters  specified  as  taught  by  the  Professor  of 
Biblical  Literature,  Church  History  and  Rhetoric  utterly 
breaks  down. 

But  it  may  be  contended  that  the  Professor  of  Didactic  and 
Polemic  Theology  positively  inculcates  metaphysical  hypotheses 
which  are  extra-scriptural,  and  that  therefore  the  analogy  does 
hold  between  his  case  and  that  of  the  Perkins  Professor. 
Speaking  for  the  chair  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  I 
would  say :  It  does  inculcate  hypotheses  which  are  not  to  be 
found  stated  in  scientific  form  in  the  Scriptures.  Between 
them  and  the  statements  of  the  Bible  there  is  not  the  harmony 
of  identity.  But  it  is  believed  by  the  instructor  that  between 
them  and  the  Bible  there  is  the  harmony  of  non-contradiction. 
Further  than  this,  it  is  believed  that  between  them  and  the 
church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible  there  is  harmony — the 
harmony  of  non-contradictory  statements.  To  speak  in  plain 
language,  it  is  believed  that  they  are  perfectly  consistent  and 
harmonious  with  the  Bible  as  the  church  understands  and 
teaches  it.  And  further  still,  I  would  say  that  they  are  incul- 
cated with  the  end  in  view,  at  least  partly  and  chiefly,  of  evinc- 
ing the  harmony  between  them  and  our  church's  interpretation 
of  the  Bible.  The  connection  between  Metaphysical  Science 
and  Revelation  is  so  taught  as  to  make  the  former  a  defender 
of  the  latter,  its  vindicator  against  the  assaults  of  a  sceptical 
philosophy.  In  a  word,  metaphysical  teachings  are  so  used  as 
not  to  make  it  necessary  to  adjust  the  church's  interpretation 
of  the  Bible  to  them,  but  by  them  to  elucidate  and  strengthen 
that  interpretation. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  259 

Now,  Natural  Science  may  be  employed  in  the  same  way,  and 
the  analogy  would  then  hold  between  the  two  chairs.  But  if 
an  hypothesis  of  Natural  Science  be  maintained  in  contradic- 
tion to  the  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  even  on  prob- 
able grounds,  the  analogy,  in  point  of  fact,  ceases.  The  true 
question  is,  whether  the  actual  attitude  of  the  two  chairs  is 
alike;  whether  the  real,  existing  posture  of  the  Perkins  chair 
towards  the  Bible  as  interpreted  by  our  church  is  the  real, 
existing  posture  of  the  metaphysical  chair  towards  the  same 
standard.  That  being  the  true  state  of  the  question,  no  unpre- 
judiced mind  can  hesitate  as  to  the  decision.  In  the  respects 
mentioned,  they  are  not  alike — the  analogy  practically  fails. 

While  I  am  speaking  upon  this  subject,  let  me  add,  that,  as 
teaching  in  Metaphysics  and  Moral  Philosophy  is  not  necessi- 
tated by  the  Constitution  of  the  Seminary,  the  Synods  may  at 
any  time  through  the  Board  of  Directors  order  its  exclusion. 
But  if  it  be  deemed  expedient  to  retain  it,  should  it  appear  that 
the  teachings  of  the  present  incumbent  of  the  chair  are  opposed 
to  the  general  views  of  the  church  he  would  hold  himself  obli- 
gated to  suppress  them,  or  else  retire. 

The  chief  point  of  the  argument  in  question,  namely,  all  the 
Professors  do  what  the  Perkins  Professor  is  alleged  to  do,  has 
now  been  considered,  and  it  has  been  shown  that  it  is  no  point 
at  all. 

Another  special  argument  which  is  urged  is,  that  there  are 
differences  upon  important  points  between  the  Professors  in  our 
Seminaries,  and  between  parties  in  the  church,  as  serious  as 
the  difference  between  the  Perkins  Professor  and  others,  and 
yet  these  differences  are  tolerated.  The  very  teaching  of  them 
is  permitted.  Why,  then,  should  the  teachings  of  the  Perkins 
Professor  be  subjected  to  peculiar  censure?  Particular  instances 
have  been  furnished  of  these  differences :  Upon  Predestination 
and  the  Will ;  upon  the  Imputation  of  Adam's  guilt ;  upon  the 
Call  to  the  Ministry,  etc.  It  is  argued  that  all  are  agreed  upon 
the  question  of  substantial  fact,  but  upon  the  question  of  mode 
discrepancies  occur.  So,  in  this  particular  case  before  us,  all 
are  agreed  in  regard  to  the  fact  of  creation,  but  the  difference 
arises  with  reference  to  the  mode,  and  that  is  permissible.  This 
argument  has  not  even  the  air  of  plausibility.  One  or  two  plain 
considerations  will  effectually  destroy  the  analogy  upon  which 
it  is  based,  and  so  subvert  it  along  with  its  foundation. 


260  The  Life  Work  of 

First,  the  parties  who  differ  upon  the  questions  instanced — 
Predestination,  the  Will,  Imputation,  the  Call  to  the  Ministry, 
etc. — profess  to  derive  the  proofs  of  their  respective  positions 
from  the  Scriptures.  Both  sides  aj^peal  to  them  for  support. 
Those  who  maintain  this  hypothesis  of  evolution  profess  to 
derive  the  reasons  in  its  favor  from  science;  and  further,  the 
opponents  of  this  particular  hypothesis  profess  to  get  their 
argument  from  the  Bible  as  well  as  from  science.  The  differ- 
ence between  the  cases  is  a  mighty  one.  There  is  no  analogy 
between  them. 

Secondly,  both  parties  to  the  questions  alleged  appeal  to  our 
Standards  for  proof  of  their  views.  For  proof  of  this  scientific 
h3T3othesis  no  appeal  to  the  Standards  is  possible.  Here  is 
another  mighty  difference. 

Thirdly,  none  of  the  parties  to  the  questions  specified  would 
maintain  views  which  are  jilainly  contrary  to  the  Standards. 
If  this  scientific  hypothesis  can  be  proved  to  be  plainly  contrary 
to  the  Standards,  it  would  not  stand  upon  the  same  foot  with 
the  subjects  upon  which  difference  of  teaching  is  allowable.  It 
would  be  in  another  and  peculiar  category. 

As  the  teaching  of  the  Professor  of  Systematic  Theology  in 
our  Seminary,  upon  the  subject  of  the  Will,  is  involved  in  this 
allegation,  the  Synod  will,  I  trust,  indulge  me  in  a  few  special 
remarks  about  that  matter.  The  principles  of  difference,  which 
have  been  signalized  between  the  cases  affirmed  to  be  common, 
will  receive  a  special  illustration  in  this  instance.  The  view 
taught  by  that  Professor  is  neither  extra-scriptural  nor  extra- 
confessional.  It  professes  to  be  both  scriptural  and  confessional. 
It  claims  to  derive  its  proofs  from  the  Bible,  from  the  doctrine 
of  Calvin,  from  the  symbols  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and 
especially  from  the  Standards  of  our  own  Church.  Whether  or 
not  these  claims  have  been  made  good,  they  have  been  made. 
Such  is  the  method  of  proof,  as  any  one  may  satisfy  himself 
who  will  consult  the  Professor's  published  exposition  of  his 
views  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Review.  Now  to  say  that 
the  teaching  of  that  view  is  on  the  same  foot  with  the  teaching 
of  the  Perkins  Professor's  view  of  evolution,  as  he  now  holds  it, 
is  simply  to  throw  facts  out  of  account. 

So  much  for  the  argument  that  as  differences  of  views  upon 
important  subjects  are  tolerated  in  our  church,  and  different 
teachings  in  regard  to  them  are  permitted  even  in  our  Theo- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  261 

logical  Seminaries,  the  same  liberty  should  be  accorded  to  the 
inculcation  of  the  hypothesis  of  evolution  which  is  in  question. 

Are,  then.  Theological  Professors  debarred  from  inculcating, 
within  the  Seminaries,  views  which  although  opposed  to  the 
Standards  they  sincerely  and  conscientiously  believe  to  be  true? 
Without  hesitation  I  answer,  and  I  hope  and  believe  this  Synod 
will  answer:  They  are  debarred,  as  Professors,  from  incul- 
cating such  views:  In  the  first  place,  because  they  are 
appointed  to  teach  the  Standards,  not  to  gainsay  and  oppose 
them;  in  the  second  place,  because  they  are  bound  by  their 
solemn  subscription  to  the  Standards  not  to  teach  what  is  con- 
trary to  them ;  in  the  third  place,  because  this  principle  is  the 
only  safeguard  of  the  church  against  the  teaching  in  our  The- 
ological Seminaries  of  contra-confessional  doctrines  and  views. 
The  Standards  are  our  impregnable  rampart  against  error.  Let 
that  go  down,  and  truth  as  we  hold  it  will  go  down  with  it.  In 
the  fourth  place,  to  be  allowed  to  teach  one  view  opposed  to  the 
Standards  is  to  be  allowed  to  teach  other  views  opposed  to 
them.  No  limit  can  be  assigned  to  this  fatal  liberty.  The 
reduction  to  absurdity  is  obvious. 

Are,  then.  Theological  Professors  bound  to  inculcate  in  the 
Seminaries  views  which  they  conscientiously  believe  to  be 
erroneous,  because  they  are  taught  in  our  Standards?  I 
answer,  no.  Two  courses  are  open  to  them :  either  to  be  silent 
in  regard  to  those  views,  or  to  withdraw  from  the  institutions. 
And  if  the  views  excepted  against  are  of  fundamental  or  even 
of  high  importance,  the  only  alternative  is  to  withdraw ;  for 
silent  in  regard  to  such  views  they  have  no  right  to  be.  Let  us 
take  a  specimen  case:  the  law  in  our  Standards  touching  the 
marriage  of  a  man  with  his  deceased  wife's  sister.  I  speak  not 
now  of  the  question  whether  it  be  scriptural  or  unscriptural, 
whether  it  ought  to  be  retained  in  the  Standards  or  expunged. 
But  I  take  the  ground  that  as  long  as  it  was  or  is  a  part  of 
our  Standards  and  therefore  of  our  Constitutional  Law,  no  Pro- 
fessor in  our  Theological  Seminaries  had  or  has  the  right,  as 
Professor  and  within  the  institutions,  to  oppose  it  or  to  teach 
the  contrary.  This  has  been  done.  The  fact  shows  that  the 
liberty  which  belongs  to  the  individual  man  is  tranferred  to 
the  official  teacher  and  the  distinction  between  them  over- 
slaughed.   But,  what  is  this  but  insubordination  to  law  in  high 


262  The  Life  Work  of 

places,  and  the  encouragement  of  the  temper  of  insubordination 
to  law  in  those  who  are  to  be  its  expounders  and  defenders? 

I  maintain  that  a  Theological  Seminary  is  not  the  place,  and 
instruction  in  its  halls  not  the  means,  to  create  sentiments 
adverse  to  any  objectionable  features  of  our  Doctrinal  Stand- 
ards, or  to  attempt  the  inauguration  of  measures  looking  to 
their  elimination  from  them.  There  are  other  relations  sus- 
tained by  Theological  Professors,  and  other  means  accessible  to 
them,  through  which  they  may  legitimately  exert  their  influence 
for  the  attainment  of  that  end.  Chiefly,  there  are  the  church 
courts,  which  alone  have  the  power  to  alter  the  Standards,  and 
the  Professors  are  members  of  those  courts.  There  they  may 
put  forth  their  energies  to  secure  emendations  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Law.  Theological  Professors,  as  such,  are  absolutely 
debarred  from  opposing  by  their  teachings  the  Standards  of  the 
Church.  This  discussion  is  exceedingly  important,  contemplated 
in  the  light  of  such  a  question  as  this.  If,  as  it  would  appear, 
we  have  not  already  settled  our  rule  of  action  in  regard  to  this 
weighty  business,  it  would  be  well  for  us  to  avail  ourselves  of 
this  great  opportunity  to  accomplish  so  desirable,  so  necessary 
an  end. 

I  have  thus  endeavored  to  sustain  the  leading  proposition  of 
this  argument — namely,  that  a  scientific  hypothesis  which  has 
not  been  proved,  so  as  to  have  become  an  established  theory  or 
law,  and  which  is  contrary  to  our  church's  interpretation  of  the 
Bible  and  to  her  prevailing  and  recognized  views,  ought  not  to 
be  inculcated  and  maintained  in  our  Theological  Seminaries. 
And  I  cannot  leave  the  point  without  holding  up  to  especial 
notice  some  of  the  principles  which  have  been  brought  out,  and 
which,  if  not  determined  before,  deserve  now,  in  connection 
with  this  case,  to  be  definitely  settled  by  us  as  rules  of  action 
for  the  future : 

1.  The  church  is  bound  to  cleave  to  her  interpretation  in  her 
Standards  of  God's  word,  and  to  her  traditional  views,  until 
they  have  been  proved  to  be  untrue  and  therefore  untenable. 

2.  No  unverified  hypothesis  can  afford  such  proof. 

3.  No  Professor  in  a  Theological  Seminary,  as  Professor,  is  at 
liberty  in  the  classroom  or  in  the  chapel  to  inculcate  views  con- 
trary to  the  Standards  of  the  church,  or  to  oppose  any  element 
of  those  Standards.    If  he  conscientiously  hold  views  which  are 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  263 

inconsistent  with  them,  lie  ought  to  refrain  from  Inculcating 
those  views,  or  else  retire  from  the  institution. 

4.  I  add,  that  should  he  persist  in  claiming  and  exercising 
such  liberty,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  church  through  her  con- 
stituted organs  of  control  to  arrest  him. 

The  second  proposition  which  I  submit  is,  That  the  Perkins 
Professor's  view  of  evolution  is  a  scientific  hypothesis,  which 
has  not  been  proved  so  as  to  have  become  an  established  theory 
or  law,  and  which  is  contrary  to  our  church's  interpretation  of 
the  Bible,  and  to  her  prevailing  and  recognized  views. 

Is  this  view  of  evolution  a  scientific  hypothesis  which  has  not 
been  proved  so  as  to  have  become  an  established  theory  or  law? 
There  are  several  modes  in  which  it  may  be  shown  that  a 
scientific  hypothesis  is  not  proved :  by  the  fact  that  it  lacks  the 
common  consent  of  scientific  men  as  proved ;  by  the  fact  that 
it  is  opposed  by  formidable  difficulties  which  have  not  been 
removed ;  by  the  fact  that  it  is  absolutely  contradicted  by  the 
statements  of  supernatural  revelation.  It  is  not  my  purpose  to 
resort  to  any  of  these  methods  of  proof  in  respect  to  the 
hypothesis  before  us :  others  may  do  so  if  they  please.  I  think 
it  sufficient  to  appeal  to  an  authority  which  ought  to  be  con- 
clusive— the  authority  of  Dr.  Woodrow  himself.  What  he 
claims  for  his  view  is  that  it  is  "probably  true."  That  is  an 
admission  that,  in  his  own  judgment,  it  is  not  a  proved  truth 
of  science.  For  that  which  is  only  probable  is  not  proved.  If 
in  this  I  have  misstated  Dr.  Woodrow's  position,  I  am  open  to 
correction. 

If  this  be  admitted,  I  pass  on  to  the  next  allegation,  to  wit, 
that  this  hypothesis  is  contrary  to  our  church's  interpretation 
of  the  Bible,  and  to  her  prevailing  and  recognized  views. 

First,  It  is  contrary  to  the  Standards  as  the  formal  and 
authoritative  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  by  our  church. 
The  relevant  statement  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  is:  "It 
pleased  God  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  for  the  manifes- 
tation of  the  glory  of  His  eternal  power,  wisdom  and  goodness, 
in  the  beginning,  to  create  or  make  of  nothing  the  world  and  all 
things  therein,  whether  visible  or  invisible,  in  the  space  of  six 
days,  and  all  very  good."  The  statement  of  the  Larger  Cate- 
chism is :  "The  work  of  creation  is  that  wherein  God  did  in  the 
beginning,  by  the  word  of  His  power,  make  of  nothing  the  world 
and  all  things  therein  for  Himself,  within  the  space  of  six  days, 


264  The  Life  Work  of 

and  all  very  good."  The  statement  of  the  Shorter  Catechism 
is :  "The  work  of  creation  is  God's  making  all  things  of  nothing, 
by  the  word  of  His  power,  in  the  space  of  six  days,  and  all 
very  good." 

The  hypothesis  of  evolution  is  inconsistent  with  the  face- 
meaning  of  these  statements.  The  connection  between  the 
words  "of  nothing"  and  the  words  "in  the  space  of  six  days," 
"within  the  space  of  six  days,"  justifies  this  view.  If  the  Stand- 
ards had  meant  to  teach  creation  out  of  nothing  in  the  first 
instance  only,  they  would  have  so  connected  the  words  "of 
nothing"  with  the  words  "in  the  beginning"  as  definitely  to 
have  conveyed  that  meaning.  But  they  also  connect  the  words 
"of  nothing"  with  the  words  "in  the  space  of  six  days,"  so  that 
the  impression  is  irresistibly  made  that  they  intended  to  teach 
that  creation  out  of  nothing  went  along  with  the  six  days.* 
It  does  not  much  matter  here  whether  or  not  the  Standards 
mean  by  six  days  six  literal  days  of  twenty-four  hours  each. 
If  they  could  be  diverted  from  their  face-meaning  and  con- 
strued to  mean  six  periods,  still  the  doctrine  that  creation  out 
of  nothing  proceeded  concurrently  with  those  periods,  at  least 
in  connection  with  the  beginning  of  each,  is  contrary  to  Dr. 
Woodrow's  view  that  creation  out  of  nothing  occurred  in  abso- 
lutely the  first  instance  only,  and  that  the  evolution  of  the 
earth,  of  the  lower  animals,  and  probably  of  Adam's  body,  was 
by  the  process  of  mediate  creation.  But  it  is  not  necessary  to 
insist  upon  this  point.  I  believe  that  Dr.  Woodrow  himself 
candidly  admits  the  inconsistency  of  his  views  with  the  obvious, 
intended  meaning  of  the  statements  of  the  Standards  in  regard 
to  creation. 

It  will  in  reply  to  this  be  said,  that  when  Dr.  Woodrow  was 
inaugurated  as  Professor  he  expressly  stated,  in  his  inaugural 
address  before  the  Board  of  Directors,  his  conviction  of  the 
truth  of  the  geological  hypothesis  touching  the  antiquity  of  the 
earth  with  its  strata  and  fossil  remains ;  that  inasmuch  as  that 
statement  was  unchallenged  he  virtually,  if  not  formally,  had 
authority  from  the  Board  and  the  Synods  controlling  the  Sem- 
inary to  inculcate  that  view ;  and  that  as  he  now  believes  that 


*It  is  noteworthy  that  the   Shorter  Catechism  omits  the  words   "in 
the  beginning." 


JoHX  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  265 

a  certain  kind  of  evolution  is  proved  by  geology,  he  is  entitled 
to  teach  his  evolutionist  view  by  the  same  authority. 

But,  first,  He  ought  to  have  made  his  statement,  virtually 
excepting  against  the  doctrine  of  the  Standards,  before  he 
formally  subscribed  them,  and  before  he  delivered  his  Inaugural 
Address,  which  came  after  the  solemnity  of  his  subscription. 
It  was  almost  too  late  to  file  the  exception  in  the  Address.  It 
would  have  been  exceedingly  awkward  to  arrest  the  process  of 
induction  at  that  point. 

Secondly,  Dr.  Woodrow,  however,  cannot  be  charged  with  a 
breach  of  trust  in  teaching  his  geological  views,  for  the  incul- 
cation of  which  he  had  received  a  special  dispensation.  And  as 
to  his  subscription  to  the  Standards  we  would  have  to  allow 
the  force  of  his  exception,  on  the  supposition  that  he  had  pre- 
viously acquainted  the  Board  with  it  and  they  had  raised  no 
objection. 

But,  thirdly,  The  question  before  this  Synod  is  one  which  is 
not  determined  by  the  Board  of  Directors  and  the  controlling 
Synods  in  the  exception  filed  by  Dr.  Woodrow  before  them. 
The  question  now  is.  What  will  this  Synod  and  the  Associated 
Synods  do  as  to  the  future?  And  here  I  must  call  attention  to 
the  principle  already  maintained  as  indispensable,  to  wit,  that 
no  Professor  in  a  Theological  Seminary  ought  to  be  permitted 
to  inculcate  any  view  which  is  contrary  to  the  Standards.  The 
Board  of  Directors,  and  by  implication  the  Synods  which 
installed  Dr.  Woodrow,  committed  a  mistake.  They  were  falli- 
ble, and  it  does  not  become  us  to  censure  them.  A  similar 
question  has  been  before  our  Presbyeries  in  many  instances. 
One  I  remember  in  connection  with  my  own,  in  which  exception 
was  taken  to  the  law  prohibiting  marriage  with  a  deceased 
wife's  sister.  Reflection  has  convinced  me  that  the  solution  of 
the  difficulty  presented  by  such  case  is  this :  That  we  must 
allow  these  conscientious  exceptions,  in  points  not  involving 
heresy,  so  far  as  the  holding  of  them  is  concerned,  but  that  we 
cannot  allow  them  so  far  as  the  official,  authoritative  teaching 
of  them  is  concerned. 

The  developments  in  this  case  exhibit  the  danger  resulting 
from  a  failure  to  abide  by  this  rule  of  action.  One  thing  leads 
on  to  another.  If  one  exception  to  the  Standards  be  allowed  in 
an  official  teacher,  another  and  another  may  be.  Where  shall 
the  line  be  drawn — the  limit  fixed?    Manifestly,  there  ought  to 


266  The  Life  Work  of 

be  a  limitation;  and  it  is  what  has  been  mentioned:  no  official 
teacher  ought,  as  such,  to  have  liberty  to  inculcate  views  con- 
trary to  the  Standards.  If  those  formularies  are  wrong  in  the 
features  objected  to,  let  them  be  altered  by  the  constitutional 
action  of  the  church.  It  is,  then,  the  duty  of  the  Synods  to 
avoid  the  mistake  made  in  the  past,  and  without  reflecting  on 
Dr.  Woodrow  for  the  teaching  of  views  for  which  he  had  the 
sanction  of  authority,  to  take  order  against  the  inculcation  of 
anti-confessional  views  in  the  future. 

Fourthly,  It  has  in  these  remarks  been  conceded  that  allow- 
ance must  be  made  for  Dr.  Woodrow's  past  teaching  upon  cer- 
tain points  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  it  was  not  consistent 
with  the  Standards,*  for  the  reason  that  he  explicitly  enounced 
his  opinions  as  to  those  points  at  the  time  of  his  inauguration 
as  Professor.  But  in  his  late  address  and  his  expositions  of  it, 
he  also  teaches  as  very  probable  the  evolution  of  the  earth 
and  of  the  lower  animals,  and  as  probable  the  evolution  of 
Adam's  body.  At  the  same  time,  I  understand  him  as  admitting 
that  the  Standards  teach  that  the  earth  and  all  its  contents 
were  created  out  of  nothing  in  the  space  of  six  days.  And  if  he 
should  also  admit  that  the  days  of  the  Standards  are  literal 
days,  the  case  is  strengthened.  He  must,  upon  either  supposi- 
tion, admit  the  teaching  of  the  Standards  to  be,  that  the  earth 
and  its  contents  were  not  evolved.  For  the  evolution  of  the 
earth  and  the  creatures  upon  it  out  of  nothing  in  six  days, 
especially  in  six  literal  days,  is  out  of  the  question.-]-     Here, 


♦Here  I  meant  the  face-meaning  of  the  Standards,  as  intended  by 
their  framers.  I  cannot  concur  in  Dr.  Mitchell's  attempt,  in  his  Lec- 
tures on  the  Westminster  Assembly,  to  show  that  the  words  "six  days" 
were  purposely  made  indefinite  so  as  to  be  susceptible  of  the  meaning, 
six  long  periods.  Nor  have  I  any  idea  that  the  Board  of  Directors 
which  installed  Dr.  Woodrow,  put  that  construction  upon  the  intention 
of  the  Westminster  Assembly.  Whether  the  words  may  by  us  be  made 
to  bear  another  than  the  obvious,  literal  interpretation  is  another  ques 
tion.  If  they  may,  the  church  ought  in  some  authoritative  way  to  say 
so,  in  order  that  relief  may  be  afforded  to  a  conscientious  teacher. 

tHere  Dr.  Woodrow  made  an  objection,  the  precise  point  of  which  I 
regret  my  inability  to  recall.  What  I  intended  was,  that  an  hypothesis 
of  evolution  professedly  theistic  requires  an  indefinite  period,  with 
creation  out  of  nothing  as  its  initial  point ;  and  that  is  inconsistent 
with  any  construction  of  the  statements  of  the  Standards. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  267 

then,  is  a  new  view  not  covered  by  the  exception  entered  at  his 
inauguration — a  new  view  confessedly  contrary  to  the 
Standards. 

Should  the  ground  be  taken  that,  granted  the  liberty  to  main- 
tain in  his  teaching  the  great  antiquity  of  the  globe  for  geo- 
logical reasons,  the  Professor's  liberty  also  to  maintain  his  view 
of  evolution  is  a  good  and  necessary  consequence,  I  reply,  that 
the  liberty  to  inculcate  his  view  of  evolution  is  not  a  good  and 
necessary  consequence.  For,  it  has  been  held  by  distinguished 
scientific  men,  like  Louis  Agassiz,  that  the  fossil  remains  in  the 
strata  of  the  earth  represent  extinct  species,  which  were  not 
evolved  from  other  species,  but  were  supernaturally  originated 
by  the  power  of  the  Creator. 

It  may  further  be  said,  that  it  is  a  recognized  principle  that 
when  an  adequate  authority  commands  the  performance  of  a 
certain  office,  it  gives  all  the  rights  necessary  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  contemplated  end.  This  principle  is,  under  limita- 
tions, true.  But  the  question  is  in  regard  to  its  application  in 
the  present  instance.  In  the  first  place,  the  authority  com- 
manding the  teaching  of  science  in  connection  with  revelation 
confers  the  right  to  teach  science  in  a  certain  sense — to  expound 
it  with  a  view  to  show  its  relations  to  the  Bible.  But  that  it 
grants  the  right  to  inculcate  science  as  opposed  to  the  very 
charter  in  which  the  authority  itself  is  grounded,  and  the 
statute-law  by  which  itself  is  governed, — this  is  infinitely 
absurd.  In  the  second  place,  if  the  authority  gave  the  right  to 
inculcate  a  geological  theory,  notwithstanding  its  inconsistency 
with  the  obvious  meaning  of  the  Standards,  it  was  a  special 
dispensation  limited  to  that  particular  teaching.  The  teacher 
could  not,  without  further  authorization,  inculcate  any  other 
view  opposed  to  the  Constitution. 

Secondly,  I  proceed  to  show  that  the  hypothesis  in  question 
is  contrary  to  the  church's  prevailing  and  recognized  views. 
When  I  speak  of  the  church's  views,  I  allude  not  to  mere  pop- 
ular opinions  or  sentiments,  but  to  the  statements  of  represen- 
tative theologians  and  the  orthodox  belief  of  God's  people  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  These  views  of  the  church  with 
reference  to  the  subject  before  us — the  origin  of  Adam's  body — 
are  in  their  nature  interpretations  of  the  statements  of  the 
Bible  and  of  our  Standards  in  regard  to  it ;  and  it  deserves  to 
be  remarked  that  the  two  classes  of  statements  are  so  nearly 


268  The  Life  Work  of 

coincident  with  each  other  that  the  interpretation  of  one  is 
substantially  the  interpretation  of  the  other.  The  Standards 
do  not  so  much  interpret  the  Scriptures  in  relation  to  this  sub- 
jest  as  reproduce  their  statements.  But  were  the  question, 
whether  interpretations  of  the  Standards  as  themselves  an 
interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  would  not  involve  the  absurdity 
of  an  interpretation  of  an  interpretation,  the  answer  would  be 
that  there  is  no  absurdity  in  that  supposition.  The  principle 
of  interpretation  of  the  Constitutional  Law  is  not  only  legit- 
imated by  that  law  itself,  but  it  could  easily  be  shown  that  it 
is  absolutely  necessary.  Whenever  two  parties,  both  appealing 
to  the  law,  oppose  each  other,  there  is  a  conflict  of  interpreta- 
tion. The  judicatory  which  decides  between  them,  whether 
acting  judicially  or  deliberatively,  either  elects  one  of  these 
conflicting  interpretations  and  sustains  it,  or  frames  one  of  its 
own  differing  from  both.  In  either  case  there  is  the  interpre- 
tation of  the  Standards  as  themselves  an  interpretation  of  the 
Scriptures ;  and  from  the  nature  of  the  case  the  interpreting 
decision  is  the  joint  judgment  of  the  constituent  members  of 
the  body.  The  interpretation  of  each  member  is  a  factor  in  the 
aggregate  of  interpretations  which  is  termed  the  decision.  So 
far  for  the  authoritative  action  of  judicatories. 

The  same  principle,  with  different  applications,  however, 
holds  in  regard  to  the  views  of  the  church  as  interpretations 
of  the  Standards  with  reference  to  questions,  like  the  one 
before  us,  of  public  interest.  There  is  an  aggregate  of  inter- 
pretations which  constitute  the  general  judgment  of  God's 
people  in  the  church — their  prevailing  and  recognized  views ; 
and  it  is  proper  to  consider  those  interpretative  views  as  enter- 
ing into  the  standard  of  judgment  into  comparison  with  which 
the  teachings  of  a  Theological  Seminary  are  brought.*     Now, 


*In  thus  speaking  of  the  views  of  the  church,  I  had  no  intention  to 
affirm  that  they  constitute  standards  of  judgment  in  cases  in  which 
alleged  heresy  is  tried  by  church-courts.  The  opening  sentences  of  this 
speech  show  that  no  such  application  of  them  is  pleaded  for  in  the  pres- 
ent instance.  But  that  the  general  views  of  the  church  do,  and  ought 
to,  exercise  a  powerful  inffuence  upon  the  question,  what  sort  of  teach- 
ings should  exist  in  a  Theological  Seminary,  supported  and  controlled 
by  the  church,  is  too  plain  to  require  argument.  To  take  any  other 
view  is  to  break  with  common  sense.  The  very  lowest  consideration  in 
regard  to  the  matter  is  conclusive  ;  the  church  cannot  be  expected  to 
pay  for  teaching  to  which  she  is  conscientiously  opposed. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  269 

the  church  holds  certain  views  in  regard  to  the  statements  of 
the  Standards — and  they  are  substantially  the  statements  of 
the  Bible — concerning  the  formation  of  man's  body  in  the  first 
instance ;  and  the  position  now  taken  is  that  the  hypothesis  of 
evolution  under  consideration  is  contrary  to  those  views.  Let 
us  compare  them. 

1.  The  hypothesis  is,  that  the  dust  from  which  Adam's  body 
was  formed  was  organic  dust.  The  church's  view  is,  that  it 
was  inorganic  dust — the  words  "of  the  ground"  designating  the 
sort  of  dust;  that  the  sentence,  "unto  dust  shalt  thou  return," 
and  the  inspired  words  in  Ecclesiastes,  "Then  shall  the  dust 
return  to  the  earth  as  it  was,"  indicate  not  animal  forms,  but 
what  is  commonly  known  as  dust  and  so  universally  called. 

2.  The  hypothesis  is,  that  Adam's  body  was  evolved  out  of, 
descended  with  modification  from,  a  long  line  of  animal 
ancestry  reaching  back  for  a  protracted  period.  The  church's 
view  is,  that  Adam's  body  was  formed  of  dust  by  a  sudden, 
supernatural,  constructive  act  of  God. 

3.  The  hypothesis  is,  that  Adam  as  to  his  body  was  born  of 
animal  parents.  The  church's  view  is,  that  Adam  as  to  his 
body  was  not  born  at  all — that  he  had  no  animal  parents. 

4.  The  hypothesis  is,  that  Adam  as  to  his  body  was  at  first 
in  an  infantile  condition,  and  grew  to  the  stature  of  a  man. 
The  church's  view  is,  that  Adam  as  to  his  body  never  was  an 
infant,  that  he  did  not  grow,  but  was  suddenly  and  super- 
naturally  formed  in  the  full  possession  of  mature  bodily  powers. 

5.  The  hypothesis  is,  that  the  existence  of  Adam's  body  pre- 
ceded for  years  the  formation  of  Eve's  body.  The  church's 
view  is,  that  Adam's  body  did  not  precede  for  years  the  forma- 
tion of  Eve's ;  but  that  the  formation  of  Eve's  body  followed 
closely  upon  the  formation  of  Adam's. 

Thus,  in  five  particulars,  it  has  been  shown  that  the 
hypothesis  before  us  is  contrary  to  the  church's  views. 

But  are  the  church's  views  what  they  have  now  been  assumed 
to  be?  and  are  they  her  prevailing  and  recognized  views?  Of 
that  I  will  proceed  to  furnish  proof. 

It  will  not  be  denied  that  up  to  the  time  of  the  emergence  of 
this  controversy,  occasioned  by  the  delivery  and  publication  of 
Dr.  Woodrow's  address,  the  church's  general  views  were  what 
I  have  represented  them  to  be.  How  has  it  been  since?  What 
are  the  views  of  the  church  which  have  been  developed,  brought 


270  The  Life  Work  of 

out  into  light  and  maintained  during  tlie  discussion  wliicti  has 
occurred? 

I  cite,  first.  The  Faculty  of  Columbia  Seminary.  Every  mem- 
ber of  it  has  declared  his  inability  to  concur  in  Dr.  Woodrow's 
interpretation  of  Scripture  so  far  as  his  hypothesis  of  the  evo- 
lution of  Adam's  body  is  concerned.  The  question  as  to  the 
relations  of  the  Bible  and  science  is  not  just  here  alluded  to, 
and  therefore  I  do  not  undertake  to  say  how  far  there  may  be 
concurrence  in  his  views  on  that  subject.  The  question  is  as  to 
the  relation  of  the  church's  views  to  this  particular  scientific 
hypothesis.  Let  us  keep  the  state  of  the  question  clearly  and 
definitely  before  us.  I  repeat  it,  that  upon  that  question  every 
member  of  the  Faculty  holds  a  view  opposed  to  that  of  their 
colleague. 

I  mention,  next,  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Columbia  Sem- 
inary. Every  member  of  it  has  declared  his  inability  to  concur 
in  Dr.  Woodrow's  view :  the  minority,  of  course,  and  the 
majority  also  in  the  paper  which  they  adopted  and  which  was 
reported  to  the  Synod. 

I  would  refer,  too,  to  the  religious  journals  of  our  church. 
Of  these  there  are  eight.  One  of  them  is  Dr.  Woodrow's  own 
paper  and  must  therefore  be  thrown  out  of  account.  Of  the 
other  seven  only  one  has  advocated  Dr.  Woodrow's  view.  Here, 
then,  are  six  of  the  old,  established  journals  of  the  church, 
which  fail  to  concur  in  the  hypothesis  in  question.  Is  it  not  to 
be  inferred  that  they  represent  the  opinion  of  the  great  majority 
of  the  church  ? 

It  may  be  said  that  all  this  is  a  begging  of  the  question — that 
the  Synods  have  not  yet  acted  upon  the  case,  and  it  may  prove 
to  be  fact  that  they  will  by  vote  sustain  the  Board  and  conse- 
quently Dr.  Woodrow's  teaching:  it  is  but  an  assumption  that 
the  church  is  opposed  to  his  view;  that  remains  to  be  seen.  I 
have  not  begged  the  question,  and  have  made  no  unwarrantable 
assumption.  Were  the  question  upon  which  this  Synod  is  called 
upon  to  decide,  whether  it  can  concur  in  Dr.  Woodrow's  view 
and  it  should  vote  that  it  does  concur,  I  would  have  made  an 
unjustifiable  assumption  as  to  the  sentiments  of  this  body.  But 
if  the  question  be,  as  indeed  it  is,  whether  the  Synod  will  allow 
the  teaching  of  Dr.  Woodrow's  view  in  the  Seminary,  and  it 
should  decide  to  allow  it,  that  decision  would  not  exhibit  the 
opinions  of  the  members  as  to  the  view  itself.     Witness  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D,  271 

action  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  And  I  undertake  to  say,  that 
if  the  question  before  us  now  were,  whether  this  Synod  can 
concur  in  Dr.  Woodrow's  hypothesis,  there  are  but  few  who 
would  express  such  concurrence. 

No;  it  cannot  be  successfully  denied  that  the  overwhelming 
mass  of  the  views  of  our  church — as  also  of  all  evangelical 
churches — is  opposed  to  the  hypothesis  of  the  Perkins  Pro- 
fessor. 

If,  now  these  propositions  have  been  sustained  by  competent 
proofs :  first,  that  a  scientific  hypothesis  which  has  not  been 
proved,  so  as  to  have  become  an  established  theory  or  law,  and 
which  is  contrary  to  our  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible, 
and  to  her  prevailing  and  recognized  views,  ought  not  to  be 
inculcated  and  maintained  in  our  Theological  Seminaries; 
secondly,  that  the  Perkins  Professor's  view  of  evolution  is  a 
scientific  hypothesis  which  has  not  been  proved  so  as  to  have 
become  an  established  theory  or  law,  and  which  is  contrary  to 
our  church's  interpretation  of  the  Bible  and  to  her  prevailing 
and  recognized  views, — the  conclusion  is  irresistible,  that  the 
Perkins  Professor's  view  of  evolution  ought  not  to  be  incul- 
cated and  maintained  in  our  Theological  Seminaries.  The 
practical  result  ought  to  be,  that  the  Synod  should  prohibit  its 
inculcation  and  maintenance,  even  as  probably  true,  in  our  own 
Theological  Seminary. 

During  this  discussion  the  majority  report  has  by  some 
speakers  been  sustained  in  aflirming  that,  as  this  hypothesis  of 
evolution  is  extra-scriptural,  the  church  can  make  no  deliver- 
ance concerning  its  truth  or  falsity.  To  this  I  reply,  first,  that 
the  Board  of  Directors  did  make  a  deliverance  concerning  it, 
when,  having  Dr.  Woodrow's  Address  before  them  in  which  the 
probable  truth  of  the  hypothesis  is  asserted,  they  declared  it 
to  be  consistent  with  perfect  soundness  in  the  faith,  and  thus 
gave  their  ofl3cial  consent  to  its  being  inculcated  in  the  Sem- 
inary. Were  not  the  Board  representatives  of  the  church  in 
making  that  deliverance?  This  Synod  is  now  asked  to  do  the 
same  thing.  If  it  does  it,  will  it  not  by  its  deliverance  approve 
the  teaching  in  the  Seminary  of  the  probable  truth  of  this 
hypothesis?  And  will  not  the  church  utter  itself  through  the 
Synod's  deliverance?  Secondly,  It  has  been  maintained  that 
the  church  cannot  teach  science,  because  it  is  extra-scriptural. 
But  it  has  also  been  maintained  that  the  duties  of  the  Perkins 


272  The  Life  Work  of 

chair  necessitate  the  teaching  of  science  in  connection  with 
revelation.  Some  teaching  of  science  by  the  chair  is  unavoid- 
able. I?ut  the  chair  is  an  exponent  of  the  church's  teachings. 
It  comes  to  this  then ;  that  in  one  breath  it  is  denied  that  the 
church  can  teach  science,  and  in  another  it  is  affirmed  that  she 
does  teach  it.  Thirdly,  I  take  issue  with  the  assertion  that  this 
hypothesis  of  evolution  is  extra-scriptural.  What  is  the 
hypothesis?  It  is  that  the  evolution  of  Adam's  body  from 
animal  forms  is  probably  true.  But  the  well-nigh  universal 
interpretation  by  the  church  of  the  biblical  statement  is,  that 
Adam's  body  was  supernaturally  formed  out  of  the  literal  dust 
of  the  ground.  Now  there  is  here  a  conflict  of  probabilities. 
To  the  extent  of  the  probability  of  the  hypothesis  we  are 
obliged  to  admit  the  improbability  of  the  ordinary  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Bible  account  of  the  origin  of  Adam's  body.  It  is 
clear  that  the  hypothesis  enters  the  domain  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  to  the  extent  of  its  probability  claims  to  modify  their  inter- 
pretation.    It  cannot,  therefore,  be  simply  extra-scriptural.* 

It  has  been  said  that  outside  bodies  and  writers  have  under- 
taken to  settle  this  question  before  us,  and  have  charged  the 
Perkins  Professor  with  heresy  and  infidelity;  and  it  is  implied 
that  this  influence  from  without  is  operating  upon  the  Synod. 
In  reply  I  would  remark,  that  the  advocates  of  the  minority 
report  propose  to  shield  Dr.  Woodrow  from  the  accusation  of 
heretical  teaching.    That  is  the  very  purpose  of  the  first  resolu- 


*Some  notice  of  a  dilemma  urged  by  one  of  the  speakers  was  intended, 
but  was  excluded  by  the  pressure  of  time.  It  was  this :  either  the 
hypothesis  is  extra-scriptural,  or  it  is  intra-scriptural.  These  are  con- 
tradictories. If,  therefore,  the  opponents  of  the  majority  report  deny 
that  it  is  extra-scriptural,  they  must  admit  that  it  is  intra-scriptural. 
The  opponents  of  the  majority  report  accept  the  situation.  They  deny 
that  it  is  extra-scriptural  and  affirm  that  it  is  intra-scriptural.  But 
it  is  one  thing  to  affirm  that  it  is  intra-scriptural,  and  quite  another  to 
affirm  that  it  is  scriptural.  They  affirm  that  it  is  both  intra-scriptural 
and  contra-scriptural.  It  goes  within  Scripture  in  order  to  invade  it. 
Satan  sometimes  speaks  within  Scripture,  but  he  is  never  scriptural.  If 
the  dilemma  had  been  :  Either  the  hypothesis  is  unscriptural  or  it  is 
scriptural,  the  opponents  of  the  majority  report  would  have  affirmed 
that  it  is  unscriptural  and  denied  that  it  is  scriptural.  The  horns  of 
the  dilemma,  which  were  considered  by  some  very  formidable,  were  as 
harmless  as  those  of  an  Irish  bull.  The  opponents  of  the  majority 
report  took  one  of  them,  but  it  had  hay  on  it.  No  blood  was  spilt — 
there  was  no  gore. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  273 

tion  of  that  report.  It  is,  therefore,  illegitimate  to  imply  that 
the  Synod  is  influenced  by  outside  opinions,  or  that  it  will  not 
form  an  independent  judgment  of  its  own. 

It  has  been  asserted  that  it  is  really  our  church  which  is  now 
on  trial  in  the  face  of  the  civilized  world,  and  that  the  oppo- 
nents of  the  teaching  of  the  hypothesis  would  cause  her  to 
re-enact  the  blunders  of  the  middle  ages.  I  answer,  that  on  the 
contrary,  we  ask  the  Synod  not  to  decide  upon  the  question, 
whether  this  hypothesis  contradicts  the  Bible  in  its  highest  and 
absolute  sense — the  sense  divinely  intended,  and  therefore 
infallible  and  immutable.  We  do  not  propose  to  take  our 
church  back  to  the  middle  ages  and  make  her  a  suppressor  of 
the  free  investigations  of  science.  Let  science  pursue  her 
inquiries  in  her  own  field  untrammeled ;  but  surely  the  church 
has  a  right  to  say  what  may  or  may  not  be  taught  in  her  own 
theological  schools. 

The  ground  has  been  taken  that  Christianity  itself  is  an 
instance  of  evolution.  To  this  astonishing  statement  I  reply: 
there  is  a  manifest  distinction  to  be  here  observed — a  distinc- 
tion which  I  have  heard  Dr.  Woodrow  himself  point  out,  and 
in  which  I  agreed  with  him,  between  the  progressive  develop- 
ment of  a  plan  by  supernatural  interventions  of  an  intelligent 
author  and  evolutimi  by  inherrent  forces  in  the  things  evolved. 

[Here  Dr.  Woodrow  objected  that  he  was  misrepresented — 
that  he  had  expressly  asserted  the  contrary.  He  misunderstood 
me,  as  I  afterwards  learned.  I  supposed  him  to  object  to  the 
statement  that  he  had  approved  such  a  distinction,  and 
answered  that  nevertheless  it  was  a  good  one.  But  he  excepted 
against  the  statement  as  to  the  nature  of  evolution  as  having 
come  from  him.  I  did  not,  however,  say  self-originated  or  self- 
subsisting  forces.  I  used  the  word  inherent ;  and  if  evolution 
does  not  proceed  by  forces,  however  originated  or  sustained, 
inherent  in  the  things  evolved,  I  know  not  what  it  is.] 

Now  Christianity,  or  more  properly  the  plan  of  redemption, 
has  been  developed  through  the  past  by  supernatural  additions. 
It  did  not  evolve  under  Divine  superintendence  by  a  force 
inherent  in  itself,  and  springing  from  the  first  promise  as  a 
primordial  germ.  There  is,  therefore,  no  analogy  between  the 
doctrine  of  the  development  of  the  gospel  and  the  hypothesis  of 
the  evolution  of  nature. 


274  The  Life  Work  of 

I  have  heard  with  surprise  the  allegation  that  theological 
development  has  always  taken  place  through  the  discussion  of 
unproved  hypotheses,  and  that  consequently  it  would  be  a  great 
mistake  to  prohibit  the  teaching  of  this  hypothesis  because  it 
is  unproved.  The  church  has  always  maintained  her  doctrines 
upon  scriptural  grounds.  They  are  divinely  revealed  and  there- 
fore cannot  be  hypotheses.  In  her  progress  towards  a  clearer 
apprehension  of  them  she  has  discussed,  it  is  true,  many 
unproved  hypotheses,  but  she  has  done  it  in  order  to  refute 
them. 

It  has  been  contemptuously  charged  that  the  minority  report 
is  a  piece  of  patchwork,  illogical  and  unworthy  to  be  submitted 
to  the  Synod.  On  what  ground?  Because,  as  it  is  alleged,  it 
affirms  that  Dr.  Woodrow's  hypothesis  neither  involves  heresy 
nor  contradiction  to  the  Scriptures,  and  yet  that  its  teaching 
should  be  prohibited  in  the  Seminary.  I  reply,  that  the  report 
does  exonerate  Dr.  Woodrow  from  the  charge  of  heresy,  but  it 
is  altogether  incorrect  to  say  that  it  does  not  represent  his 
teaching  as  contradictory  to  the  Scriptures.  It  draws  the  dis- 
tinction, already  emphasized  in  these  remaks,  between  the  Bible 
in  its  highest  and  absolute  sense — the  sense  which  was  intended 
by  God,  its  author — and  the  Bible  as  interpreted  by  our  church. 
It  maintains  that  the  Synod  ought  not  to  decide  upon  the  ques- 
tion whether  this  view  of  evolution  is  contrary  to  the  Bible  in 
the  first  of  these  senses,  and  that  it  ought  to  decide  upon  the 
question  whether  it  is  contrary  to  the  Bible  in  the  second  sense. 
Further,  it  asks  the  Synod  to  decide  that  it  is  contrary  to  the 
Bible  in  the  latter  of  these  senses.  Until  this  distinction  is 
overthrown,  the  charge  that  the  report  is  illogical  and  weak 
is  destitute  of  foundation.  If  the  distinction  is  ridiculous  and 
unintelligible,  upon  what  ground  is  it  competent  to  the  church 
to  amend  her  doctrinal  Standards?  On  what  ground  is  she  now 
engaged  in  amending  them?  If  the  Standards  as  her  interpre- 
tation of  the  Bible  are  in  every  respect  identical  with  the  Bible 
in  its  infallible  and  unchangeable  sense,  how  can  she  amend 
the  Standards?  Can  she  amend  the  Bible  in  its  highest  and 
absolute  sense?  I  believe  and  hold  that  in  many  and  important 
particulars,  especially  the  essential  elements  of  the  plan  of 
salvation,  the  Standards  are  identical  with  the  absolute  mean- 
ing of  the  Bible,  and  that  we  are  entitled  to  speak  upon  those 
points  confidently  and  authoritatively;  but  to  say  that  such  an 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  275 

identity  exists  in  every  particular,  even  the  most  unessential, 
is  to  say  that  the  church's  knowledge  absolutely  exhausts  the 
meaning  of  the  Scriptures,  and  that  her  Standards  are  as 
infallible  and  unchangeable  as  it.  So  far  from  being  illogical 
and  unworthy  of  consideration,  the  positions  of  the  minority 
report  are  grounded  in  distinctions  as  impregnable  as  they  are 
clear. 

It  has,  in  the  course  of  this  discussion,  been  contended  that 
the  pledge  subscribed  by  the  Professors  in  the  Seminary  only 
binds  them  not  to  teach  any  doctrine  contrary  to  their  belief 
that  the  Standards  are  "a  just  summary  of  the  doctrines  con- 
tained in  the  Bible;"  that  it  does  not  obligate  them  not  to  teach 
what  they  may  believe  to  be  contrary  to  some  particular  state- 
ment of  the  Standards.  I  am  constrained  to  think  this  a  mis- 
taken construction  of  the  pledge.  Evidently  by  the  term  sum- 
mary it  is  meant  to  affirm,  that  while  the  Standards  do  not  give 
a  minute  statement  of  all  the  details  of  Scripture  they  do 
furnish  a  comprehensive  statement  of  all  its  doctrines.  Those 
doctrines  are  given  comprehensively,  but  still  they  are  given. 
Consequently  to  teach  what  is  contrary  to  any  statement  of  the 
doctrinal  Standards  is  to  teach  what  is  contrary  to  some  state- 
ment of  doctrine  in  the  Scriptures.  To  teach,  for  example, 
what  is  contrary  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Standards  concerning 
creation  is,  our  church  being  judge,  to  teach  what  is  contrary 
to  the  doctrine  of  the  Bible  concerning  that  subject.  To  adopt 
any  other  view  would  be  to  take  the  ground  of  the  New  School 
men  in  the  controversy  of  1837  and  1838 — that  the  subscription 
to  the  Standards  is  a  subscription  to  them  only  "for  substance 
of  doctrine."  That  ground  being  allowed,  the  check  provided 
in  the  pledge  to  the  teaching  of  error  would  have  scarcely  more 
than  a  nominal  value. 

The  view  has  been  urged  that  the  proceedings  of  the  Synod 
in  this  matter  are  unconstitutional — that  is,  inconsistent  with 
the  Constitution  of  the  Seminary  and  also  with  the  rights  con- 
ferred by  the  Constitution  of  our  church.  By  some  it  has  been 
contended,  that  "the  Synods  have  no  right  to  remove  a  Pro- 
fessor;" that  by  the  Constitution  of  the  Seminary  the  Board 
alone  possess  that  power ;  that  the  Synods  can  only  act  in  such 
a  case  through  the  Board;  that  the  Constitution  is  a  Bill  of 
Rights  guaranteeing  protection  to  the  Board  and  the  Professors 
as  well  as  to  the  Synods ;  that  Dr.  Woodrow's  rights  as  secured 


276  The  Life  Work  of 

to  him  by  that  instrument  are  not  respected  in  these  extra- 
legal proceedings;  and  that  charges  should  have  been  tabled 
against  him  and  a  formal  trial  had,  when  a  case  would  have 
been  submitted  to  the  review  and  control  of  the  Synods.  In 
reply,  I  would  say : 

First.  The  party  supporting  Dr.  Woodrow  are  inconsistent 
with  themselves  in  taking  this  ground.  It  would  have  been 
different,  if  they  had  contented  themselves  with  protesting 
against  the  unconstitutionality  of  these  proceedings,  and  con- 
fined their  argument  to  that  question.  This  they  have  not 
done;  but  have  appeared  in  Synod  as  advocates  and  have 
argued  the  whole  question  as  to  its  merits — as  to  evolution  and 
the  legitimacy  of  teaching  it,  as  probably  true,  in  the  class- 
exercises  of  the  Seminary.  It  is  therefore  not  now  competent 
to  them  to  except  against  the  unconstitutionality  of  the  Sj'nod's 
proceedings. 

Secondly,  The  Bill  of  Rights,  so  elequently  described  by  one 
of  the  speakers,  is  not  only  intended  to  guard  the  rights  of  the 
Board  and  of  individual  teachers,  but  also  to  guard  the  rights 
of  the  Seminary,  of  the  Synods,  of  the  church  and  of  the  truth. 
The  Constitution  does  give  to  the  Board  the  power  to  remove 
Professors.  But  it  also  declares  that  all  the  acts  of  the  Board 
are  subject  to  the  control  of  the  Synods,  which  alone  possess 
ultimate  power.  They  can  veto  the  election  of  a  Professor  by 
the  Board.  They  can  veto  the  removal  of  a  Professor  by  that 
body ;  and,  by  necessary  implication,  they  can  veto  the  refusal 
of  the  Board  to  remove  a  Professor.  Let  us  suppose  that  a 
Professor  should  even  teach  heresy,  and  that  the  Board  were 
so  enamored  of  his  gifts  and  abilities  as  to  refuse  to  remove 
him,  would  the  Synods  allow  justice  to  be  baffled  by  mere 
technicalities?  No,  sir;  they  would  sweep  away  the  Board  and 
the  teacher  alike.* 


♦This  is  obvious,  so  far  as  ttie  Board  are  concerned.  Since  ttiesa 
remarks  were  uttered,  ttie  Synods  have  changed  the  personal  composi- 
tion of  the  Board,  so  as  to  secure  one  which  will  execute  their  will. 
But  if  in  any  case,  the  Synods  should  fail  to  execute  their  will  medi- 
ately through  a  Board,  from  a  lack  of  nerve  on  the  part  of  the  mem- 
bers or  for  any  other  reason,  they  would  have  the  power  and  the  right 
to  execute  their  will  immediately.  And  in  taking  that  course  they 
would  act  constitutionally.  Why?  Because  the  Constitution  requires 
that  no  professor  shall  teach   anything  contrary  to   the   Standards  of 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  277 

Thirdly,  It  is  forgotten  by  those  who  offer  these  objections 
to  the  constitutionality  of  the  Synod's  proceedings  that  a  Pro- 
fessor in  a  Theological  Seminary  sustains  two  relations — one 
in  which  he  is  responsible  as  a  teacher  to  the  Curators  of  an 
educational  institute,  and  another  in  which  he  is  responsible 
as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  to  his  Presbytery.  There  is  no 
question,  to  my  mind,  that  the  Constitution  gives  the  Board  of 
Directors  the  power  in  some  way  to  try  a  Professor;  but  the 
question  is  whether  there  are  no  cases  in  which  the  Board  may 
arrest  certain  objectionable  teachings,  or  even  take  steps  look- 
ing to  the  removal  of  an  objectionable  teacher,  without  the 
formality  of  a  regular  trial. f  In  regard  to  that  question  I 
submit  the  following  considerations : 

1.  It  would  violate  all  analogy  to  suppose  that  the  Curators 
of  an  educational  institution  could  not,  upon  grounds  of  expe- 
diency, prevent  certain  teachings,  or  even  request  the  resigna- 
tion of  a  teacher,  without  instituting  formal  process  against 
him.  If  they  should  be  convinced  by  sufficient  evidence  that 
his  teaching  of  certain  views,  or  his  continuance  in  office,  would 
be  detrimental  to  the  interests  of  the  institution  and  to  other 
related  interests,  what  hinders  them  from  taking  that  course? 
And  is  it  not  almost  unsupposable  that  one,  requested  to  vacate 
his  position  by  competent  authority,  should  refuse  to  comply 
with  the  request,  or  demand  a  formal  trial  before  he  will  admit 
the  necessity  of  his  retirement? 

2.  There  was  in  this  instance  no  need  for  the  tabling  of 
charges  and  for  a  formal  trial.  The  evidence  before  the  Board 
and  the  Associated  Synods  was  sufficient  to  ground  action  on 
the  part  of  either.  The  Board  might  have  proceeded,  upon 
that  evidence,  to  prohibit  the  inculcation  of  the  Perkins  Pro- 
fessor's peculiar  views  if  they  had  deemed  them  prejudicial 
to  the  welfare  of  the  Seminary  and  the  interests  of  the  church. 


the  Church.  If,  then,  the  Board  will  not  enforce  that  requirement, 
what  remains  but  that  the  Synods  shall  themselves  enforce  it?  Shall 
the  creator  and  ruler  be  estopped  from  carrying  into  execution  its  own 
code  of  rules  because  its  creature  and  subject  will  not?  Yes;  the 
Synods  not  only  have  the  power  to  remove  the  Board,  but  in  certain 
supposable  cases  a  professor  himself. 

tThe    Seminary    Constitution    says    nothing    about    the    tabling    of 
charges  and  formal  process. 


278  The  Life  Work  of 

They  declined  to  do  so.  The  same  evidence  comes  before  this 
Synod  as  one  of  the  bodies  controlling  the  Seminary,  and  it  is 
competent  for  it  to  examine  the  evidence  and  decide  whether 
it  be  sufficient  to  justify  it  in  prohibiting  the  teaching  in  the 
institution  of  the  vievrs  in  question.  The  evidence  referred  to 
is  the  Perkins  Professor's  Address  upon  Evolution,  which  he 
laid  before  the  Board  for  their  consideration.  In  that  address 
he  exhibits  the  views  he  holds  upon  the  subject  of  evolution — 
the  views  which  it  might  be  expected  that  he  would  inculcate 
in  his  classroom.  This  kind  of  evidence  is  universally  admitted 
to  be  valid.  Had  the  Professor  appeared  in  person  and  orally 
expounded  his  views,  could  he  have  more  clearly  set  them 
forth  than  he  had  done  in  that  carefully  prepared  address? 
What  need  was  there,  what  need  is  there  now,  to  institute  a 
formal  trial  involving  process  in  order  to  ascertain  his  views? 
The  published  document  is  before  the  Synod,  along  with  the 
subsequent  expositions  of  it  by  its  author,  and  he  himself  is 
present  in  this  body,  with  amjile  opportunity  accorded  to  him 
of  stating,  explaining  and  vindicating  his  views.  Is  not  the 
Synod  then  entitled,  with  all  this  evidence  before  it  rendering 
a  formal  trial  upon  charges  unnecessary,  to  proceed  with  the 
investigation  and  come  to  a  decision  of  the  question  whether 
the  Professor's  peculiar  teachings  should  be  continued  or  pre- 
vented in  the  halls  of  the  Theological  Seminary?  The  Synod 
would,  in  pursuing  this  course,  be  sustained  by  the  precedents 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

In  confirmation  of  this  position  I  refer  to  the  decisions  ren- 
dered upon  the  examination  of  published  views  in  the  instances 
of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Barker,  of  the  Rev.  Hezekiah  Balch,  of 
the  Rev.  William  C.  Davis,  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Craighead, 
and  of  the  Rev.  Albert  Barnes.* 

Here  a  distinction  must  be  observed :  between  the  relation 
of  the  Perkins  Professor  personally  to  the  Seminary,  and  the 
relation  to  it  of  the  teaching  of  his  views  on  the  subject  in  ques- 
tion ;  between  his  continuing  to  teach,  and  his  continuing  to 
teach  his  special  hypothesis  of  evolution.  The  Synod  is  not 
asked  to  remove  him,  but  to  disapprove  the  action  of  the  Board 
consenting  to  his  inculcation  of  that  hypothesis,  and  also  to 
prohibit  the   inculcation  of  the  hypothesis,   even   as  probably 


*Baird's  Digest,  Bk.  vii.,  Parts  iv,  vi,  ix,  x,  xi. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  279 

true.  That  the  Synod's  pronouncing  judgment  upon  the  Pro- 
fessor's published  views,  and  taking  order  in  regard  to  their 
being  taught  in  the  Seminary,  would  be,  as  has  been  charged, 
"to  persecute  him  and  tyrannize  over  him,"  I  am  unable  to  see. 

It  is  contended  that  with  the  question  of  the  truth  or  falsity 
of  evolution  this  body  has  nothing  to  do.  I  answer  that  Dr. 
Woodrow  affirms  it,  under  limitations,  to  be  probably  true; 
and  with  the  question  whether,  as  Professor,  he  shall  so  teach, 
the  Seminary  has  to  do,  and  the  Board  of  Directors  has  to  do 
with  it,  and  with  it  this  Synod  has  to  do. 

It  has  been  said :  The  minority  report  asserts  that  Dr.  Wood- 
row  inculcates  and  defends  the  hypothesis  of  evolution.  I 
reply :  It  does  not.  It  asks  the  Synod  to  adopt  a  resolution  pro- 
hibiting its  inculcation  and  defence.  How  prohibiting  that 
sort  of  teaching  can  refer  to  the  past,  it  is  impossible  to  see. 

It  has  been  maintained  that  Dr.  Woodrow  has  not  taught 
the  probable  truth  of  his  evolution  hypothesis.  No  one  has 
made  the  statement  that  he  has.  I  never  thought  that  he  did 
more  than  expound  the  hypothesis  without  expressing  an  opin- 
ion in  its  favor.  But  he  now  states  his  belief  of  its  probable 
truth,  and  his  intention  to  teach  its  probable  truth.  What  we 
move  the  Synod  to  do  is  to  prohibit  that  teaching.  It  is  vain 
to  say — ^as  has  been  said — that  although,  in  obedience  to  his 
convictions,  he  will  teach  the  probable  truth  of  his  hypothesis, 
he  will  not  urge  its  acceptance  upon  the  students.  It  will  not 
be  necessary  for  so  able  a  teacher,  after  giving  his  reasons  in 
favor  of  its  probable  truth,  to  exhort  his  pupils  to  receive  it. 

The  point,  it  is  urged  again  and  again,  the  only  point  to 
which  Dr.  Woodrow  directs  his  instructions,  is  the  connection 
between  this  hypothesis  and  the  Bible.  That  is  all.  Yes;  but 
what  sort  of  connection?  Why,  this :  the  hypothesis  being  prob- 
ably true,  the  ordinary  interpretation  of  the  Bible  is  probably 
untrue.  It  is  modified  by  the  hypothesis.  It  is  to  the  teaching 
in  a  Seminary  of  that  kind  of  connection  that  objection  is  made 
and  the  Synod  is  asked  to  oppose  their  prohibition. 

In  the  course  of  his  speech  Dr.  Woodrow  said  that  if  we  hold 
to  an  absolute  sense  of  the  Scriptures  which  may  be  different 
from  the  interpreted  sense,  we  must  believe  that  the  Standards 
are  not  scriptural.  No,  sir ;  we  believe  that  the  Standards 
express  the  absolute  sense,  but  in  some  respects  our  belief  may 
not  coincide  with   that  sense.     We  are  not   infallible.     When 


280  •  The  Life  Work  of 

Dr.  Woodrow  has  denied  the  scripturalness  of  the  law  in  the 
Standards  concerning  marriage  with  a  deceased  wife's  sister, 
did  he  believe  that  that  part  of  the  Standards  expressed  the 
absolute  meaning  of  the  Scriptures?  If  he  did,  he  opposed 
what  he  believed  to  be  the  absolute  sense  of  the  Scriptures.  If 
he  did  not,  he  admitted  his  belief  that  the  Standards  do  not 
always  express  that  sense. 

The  formidable  array  of  testimonies  which  Dr.  Woodrow 
has  exhibited,  in  order  to  prove  that  his  hypothesis  of  evolu- 
tion is  not  in  so  unverified  a  condition  as  has  been  asserted, 
goes  to  show  that  he  is  satisfied  with  the  evidence  which  sup- 
ports it.  He  frankly  confesses  before  the  Synod  that  he  is, 
under  the  limitations  he  states,  a  pronounced  evolutionist.  Is 
the  Synod  prepared  to  permit  his  inculcation  of  this  view  in 
our  theological  school? 

I  have  never  believed  heretofore  that  the  foundations  of  the 
Seminary  were  seriously  endangered.  Even  in  its  darkest  days 
I  trusted  that  the  kind  Providence  which  had  favored  it  from 
its  beginning  would  continue  to  sustain  it.  But  now  I  feel 
that  the  institution  is  on  the  edge  of  deadly  peril.  Since 
coming  to  this  meeting  I  have  heard  the  witticism  that  the 
opponents  of  evolution  are  not  so  much  wrong  as  too  late  I  1 
must  retort  that  the  advocates  of  its  maintenance  in  the  Sem- 
inary are  too  soon — too  soon,  sir,  for  the  sentiment  of  the 
church,  by  which  the  institution  is  upheld !  In  a  certain  part 
of  this  State  there  stood  what  seemed  to  be  a  sacred  edifice.  A 
stranger  passing  by  inquired  what  it  was,  and  was  told  that  it 
was  a  Universalist  church.  Oh,  said  he,  that  is  the  no-hell 
church.  The  epithet  damaged  it.  Let  the  hypothesis  of  evolu- 
tion be  inculcated  in  the  theological  school  at  Columbia,  and  to 
the  question  of  the  stranger.  What  institution  is  this?  the 
answer  will  be,  This  is  the  Evolution  Seminary.  I  do  not  deny 
that  students  may  come  to  it,  but  the  chief  attraction  will  be 
its  scientific  teaching,  and  the  majority  of  the  people  of  God 
will  withdraw  from  it  their  sympathy  and  their  support. 

This  great  speech  consumed  three  hours  in  its  deliv- 
ery. At  times  the  famous  orator  and  debater  rose  to 
those  dizzy  heights  of  eloquence  to  which  he  alone 
could  climb.    He  was  moved  by  an  awful  earnestness. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  281 

He  felt  a  danger.  He  contended  for  a  principle  and  a 
policy.  As  to  the  relation  between  science  and  the 
Bible  he  could  not  be  satisfied  with  mere  "non-contra- 
diction." It  must  be  the  "harmony  of  non-contradic- 
tion." He  did  not  dogmatize:  there  was  an  "absolute 
sense"  of  Scripture,  and  it  was  always  possible  that 
fallible  men  might  miss  that  meaning.  But  he  would 
hold  all  professors  and  teachers  in  theological  schools 
to  the  Church's  interpretations  of  the  Scriptures  as 
set  forth  in  her  standards  of  faith.  Evolution  had  not 
been  approved  by  his  Church,  and  no  man  must  incul- 
cate it.  He  uttered  no  invective.  He  said  nothing 
bitter.  He  respected  his  colleague.  He  would  consent 
to  no  charge  of  heresy  against  him.  He  did  not 
believe  in  evolution.  He  did  not  want  his  Synod  to 
approve  it.  He  wanted  its  inculcation  in  the  Seminary 
forbidden. 

When  the  Synod  finally  came  to  a  vote,  it  rejected 
both  the  majority  and  minority  reports,  each  by  a  vote 
of  fifty-two  to  forty-four;  and  then  adopted,  by  a 
vote  of  fifty  to  forty-five,  the  following  resolution, 
offered  by  the  Rev.  W.  T.  Thompson,  D.  D. : 

''Resolved,  That  in  the  judgment  of  this  Synod  the  teaching 
of  evolution  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Columbia,  except 
in  a  purely  expository  manner,  with  no  intention  of  incul- 
cating its  truth,  is  hereby  disapproved." 

The  three  other  controlling  Synods,  Georgia,  Ala- 
bama, Florida,  in  even  more  emphatic  terms,  disap- 
proved the  teaching  of  evolution  in  the  Seminary. 

But  the  matter  continued  to  vex  the  Church  through- 
out all  its  borders  and  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina 
most  intensely  of  all.  The  subject  practically  monop- 
olized its  meetings.    The  Seminary  was  grievously  suf- 


282  The  Life  Work  of 

fering  in  consequence  of  the  controversy.  The  Synod 
met  in  the  fall  of  1886  at  Cheraw,  South  Carolina,  and 
sent  a  telegram  to  Dr.  Woodrow  requesting  him  to 
express  a  willingness  to  withdraw  from  the  Seminary. 
He  telegraphed  his  refusal.  Then  Dr.  Girardeau 
offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted 
by  a  vote  of  seventy-eight  to  forty-two: 

"Whereas  this  Synod  adopted  the  following  resolution: 

"  'Resolved,  That  this  Synod,  being  deeply  sensible  of  its 
responsibility  for  its  administration  of  the  high  and  solemn 
trust  reposed  in  its  hands  in  connection  with  the  Theological 
Seminary,  and  deeming  it  important  to  the  future  welfare  and 
efficiency  of  that  institution  that  Dr.  Woodrow  should  with- 
draw from  relation  to  it.  hereby  requests  him  to  signify  to  the 
Synod  at  once  his  willingness  to  tender  to  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors, at  an  early  date,  his  resignation  of  the  Perkins  chair,  and 
that  this  action  be  telegraphed,  by  special  committee,  at  once, 
to  Dr.  Woodrow,  requesting  immediate  answer.' 

"And  whereas  Dr.  Woodrow  has  declined  to  comply  with 
this  request  of  the  Synod,  therefore, 

''Resolved,  That  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina,  the  other 
Synods  concurring,  does  hereby  instruct  the  Board  of  Directors 
to  meet  at  as  early  a  day  as  practicable  after  the  meeting  of 
the  Synods  of  South  Carolina,  Georgia  and  Florida,  and  renew 
the  request  to  Dr.  Woodrow  for  his  resignation ;  and,  if  he 
shall  decline  to  accede  to  that  request,  the  Board  is  hereby 
ordered  to  declare  the  Perkins  professorship  vacant,  and  make 
such  provision  for  the  department  as  may  seem  best." 

In  one  phase  or  another,  this  painful  controversy 
continued  until  Dr.  Woodrow  was  removed  from  his 
professorship  in  the  Seminary,  and  his  views  were 
judicially  condemned  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Church. 

In  1890,  on  a  letter  of  dismission  from  the  Presby- 
tery of  Augusta,  Dr.  Woodrow  applied  to  be  received 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  283 

into  the  Presbytery  of  Charleston,  of  which  Dr.  Girar- 
deau was  a  conspicuous  member.  After  an  examina- 
tion, this  Presbytery  declined  to  receive  him  into  its 
membership,  in  the  hope  that  such  action  would  end 
the  agitation.  In  these  Presbyterial  proceedings.  Dr. 
Girardeau  took  no  part,  other  than  to  cast  his  vote. 
The  Synod  of  South  Carolina,  that  fall  at  Yorkville, 
sustained  this  action  of  the  Presbytery,  and  the  tur- 
moil came  to  an  end. 

The  primary  object  of  Dr.  Girardeau,  and  of  those 
associated  with  him,  was  to  prevent  the  Church  from 
committing  itself  to  the  doctrine  of  evolution,  and 
inculcating  it  as  the  truth,  in  one  of  its  Theological 
Schools.  All  other  consequences  came  as  unforeseen 
afterthoughts,  and  as  means  to  the  chief  end. 

Looking  backard, — was  this  painful  controversy 
wanton  ?  The  tender-hearted,  the  saintly,  the  knightly 
Girardeau  went  down  to  his  grave  under  the  displeas- 
ure of  some  of  his  life-long  friends,  who  always 
thought  he  was  needlessly  alarmed.  Has  evolution 
shown  itself  to  be  a  harmless  hypothesis  which  boded 
no  evil  to  the  Scriptures,  a  mere  romance  in  science 
which  had  no  bearings  on  the  cause  of  Christ?  What 
is  the  story  of  its  own  evolution? 

Today  it  is  the  regnant  philosophy.  It  has  over- 
passed all  the  limits  affixed  by  Dr.  Woodrow.  With 
a  reconstructing  and  reversing  hand,  it  has  swept  the 
whole  gamut  of  the  Christian  Faith.  Every  theological 
distress  of  the  hour  is  traceable  to  its  baleful  influence. 

It  is  applied  to  the  Bible,  to  explain  how  the  Chris- 
tian Scriptures  are  but  a  product  of  a  naturalistic 
evolution,  co-ordinate  in  kind  with  other  so-called 
sacred  books,  and  so  are  neither  inerrant  nor  final. 


284  The  Life  Work  of 

It  is  applied  to  God,  to  explain  how  the  Yahweh 
of  an  oriental  people  has  come  to  be  the  God  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

It  is  applied  to  religion,  to  explain  how  the  religion 
of  a  nomadic  tribe  of  Asia  has  come  to  be  the  Chris- 
tian religion  of  the  most  enlightened  nations  of 
Europe. 

It  is  applied  to  the  fall,  to  explain  away  that  moral 
catastrophe  by  construing  it  as  a  mere  miscarriage  in 
the  evolution  of  the  race. 

One  of  its  apostles  (Bousset)  in  the  household  of 
religion  has  recently  said,  with  jubilation,  "The  con- 
ception of  redemption,  the  dogma  of  the  divinity  of 
Christ,  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  the  idea  of  vicar- 
ious sacrifice,  the  belief  in  the  miraculous,  in  the  old 
view  of  revelation — we  see  how  all  these  are  swept 
away  in  the  stream  of  development." 

These  are  conclusions  which  would  have  been 
abhorrent  to  Dr.  Woodrow ;  and  he  often  declared  that 
if  he  could  see  that  any  of  them  were  really  the  fruits 
of  evolution,  he  would  deny  and  disown  the  hypothesis. 
Dr.  Girardeau,  on  the  other  hand,  felt  sure  that  such 
would  be  the  wreckage,  and  so  fought  for  his  faith 
as  a  man  fights  for  his  life.  And  now,  on  both  sides 
of  the  sea,  the  question  that  trembles  upon  the  lip  of 
the  world  and  challenges  the  Christian  apologist  is, 
"Can  the  old  faith  live  by  the  side  of  the  new  science?" 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE  PHILOSOPHER* 

By  Thornton  Whaling,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Dr.  Girardeau  was  a  many-sided  man,  who  was 
facile  pHnceps  in  quite  a  number  of  different  spheres, 
and  who  filled  a  large  place  in  the  eye  of  the  Church 
as  preacher,  theologian,  teacher,  writer  and  ecclesiastic. 
But  there  was  one  department  in  which  he  possessed 
unsurpassed  scholarship  and  in  which  he  showed 
remarkable  gifts,  and  yet  for  various  reasons  the 
Church  at  large  has  failed  for  a  time  to  appraise  him 
at  his  true  value  in  the  field  of  philosophy,  and  in  the 
future  when  calm,  catholic  judgments  have  been 
reached  by  the  general  mind  of  the  Church  he  is 
destined  to  be  rated  as  a  great  philosophic  thinker, 
in  fact  taking  high  rank  in  the  list  of  the  philosophers 
of  the  world  in  our  day. 

The  reasons  for  the  Church's  temporary  failure  to 
appraise  him  at  his  true  value  as  a  philosopher  are 
evident.  As  a  flaming,  eloquent,  inspiring  preacher, 
possessed  of  every  gift  necessary  to  convince  the  rea- 
son and  fire  the  heart  of  the  populace,  he  attracted 
such  commanding  and  general  attention  as  to  obscure 
in  the  public  mind  for  a  season,  his  possession  of 
those  entirely  different  order  of  gifts  which  make  the 
philosopher  or  metaphysician.  And  when  the  great 
preacher  proved  to  be  a  theologian  and  teacher  of  the 
first  order  the  conclusion  was  that  his  outfit  of  gifts 


♦The   substance   of   two   articles  published   in   The   Union   Seminary 
Magazine. 


286  The  Life  Work  of 

and  achievements  was  exhausted;  and  when  as  an 
ecclesiastic,  debating  the  most  difficult  questions  under 
the  eye  of  skilful  antagonists,  he  proved  one  of  the 
most  formidable  of  controversialists,  it  was  scarcely 
to  be  suspected  that  the  flaming  preacher,  the  learned 
theologian,  the  wise  teacher,  the  powerful  debater 
would  have  another  order  of  gifts  of  a  still  higher 
kind  and  in  still  higher  degree,  viz.:  the  patient  and 
penetrating  intellect,  the  protracted  induction  of  many 
particulars,  the  masterful  synthesis  which  grouped 
details  in  grand  generalizations,  the  analytic  power 
which  resolved  the  most  intricate  problems  into  their 
simplest  elements,  boldness  and  restraint,  daring  and 
balance,  all  combined  in  stretching  the  tether  of  human 
reason  to  its  utmost  limit  and  yet  never  losing  the 
sanity  and  poise  which  overstepped  the  bounds  of  just 
reflection  or  speculation. 

In  addition  to  this,  our  day  is  not  a  metaphysical 
period.  For  the  time  being,  philosophy  is  at  a  dis- 
count. The  writings  of  Plato,  Kant,  Cousin  and  Ham- 
ilton are  not  as  widely  read  as  a  generation  or  two  ago. 
Science,  physical  science  popularized,  the  novel,  biog- 
raphy, history  made  easy  by  dropping  the  difficult  out 
of  sight,  the  magazine,  the  newspaper,  these  make  the 
staple  of  general  reading.  And  even  scholars  decry 
philosophy  and  taboo  metaphysics  as  if  it  were  dim 
cloudland  beyond  the  reach  of  human  intelligence.  Of 
course  this  is  a  temporary  and  passing  phase.  It  is  a 
sign  of  essential  shallowness  and  mental  incapacity. 
The  reign  of  reflection  and  the  right  of  true  science  can 
not  be  forever  disallowed.  The  time  will  come  when 
knowledge  of  the  phenomenal  will  nOt  satisf^^  when 
the  voice  of  right  reason  and  the  deliverances  of  faith 
will  be  heard  and  philosoplw  will  come  to  the  throne. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  287 

Meantime  the  philosopher,  if  he  has  "fit  audience,*' 
has  also  a  small  one,  and  Dr.  Girardeau,  though  doing 
a  great  work  in  this  most  important  field  and  leaving 
invaluable  philosophic  discussions  beyond  him  (which 
have  since  been  published),  has  not  yet  secured  the 
recognition  which  his  merit  as  a  philosopher  deserves. 
The  season  is  at  hand,  the  Church  today  does  not 
appreciate  as  she  will  tomorrow  or  the  next  day,  that 
without  philosophy  there  is  no  theology  and  without 
theology  there  is  no  religion.  And  when  this  passing 
craze  for  the  shallow  and  the  popular  has  passed  and 
the  old  demand  of  reason  and  faith  for  the  real  and 
the  metaphysical  is  again  respected,  the  philosopher 
of  the  Church  will  receive  his  rightful  crown. 

I  venture  to  add,  though  treading  on  delicate 
groimd,  and  yet  I  may  venture  as  one  who  disagreed 
with  him  on  some  of  the  issues  involved,  that  the 
ecclesiastical  controversies  which  agitated  the  Church 
from  1883  to  1890,  for  a  season  prevented  some  minds 
from  impartially  and  judicially  recognizing  the  full 
merits  of  Dr.  Girardeau.  No  fault  is  here  imputed  to 
any  one  on  this  account ;  it  was  an  inevitable  result  of 
the  circumstances  of  the  hour.  And  it  has  passed  or  is 
fast  passing  away.  The  time  must  speedily  come  when 
the  judicial  weighing  of  the  "Philosophic  Discussions" 
and  the  "Freedom  of  the  Will"  must  procure  for  their 
author  a  higher  distinction,  I  think,  than  any  of  those 
merited  distinctions  already  his  as  preacher,  theolo- 
gian, teacher,  writer  and  ecclesiastic,  viz. :  Our  Church 
will  decide  that  he  is  her  greatest  philosopher. 

Dr.  Girardeau's  standpoint  is  that  of  the  Scotch 
School  of  Common  Sense,  though  he  had  that  oecumen- 
ical   acquaintance    with    the    history    of    philosophy 


288  The  Life  Work  of 

which  enabled  him  to  ground  most  of  the  doctrines  of 
that  School  in  the  catholic  conclusions  to  which  the 
great  thinkers  of  all  the  ages  have  come  as  the  result 
of  their  reflective  inquiries.  Plato,  Aristotle,  Philo, 
Kant,  Cousin,  Jacobi,  Fichte,  Schilling,  Hegel  were 
at  his  fingers'  ends  as  truly  as  Hamilton,  Stewart  and 
Reid.  The  philosophic  reflections  of  Athanasius 
Origen,  Augustine,  Calvin,  Edwards,  scattered  through 
their  writings  had  all  been  mastered  by  him.  In  short, 
these  names  are  merely  samples  recalled  by  an  old 
student's  memory,  and  the  whole  field  of  the  world's 
metaphysical  thought  as  far  as  reduced  to  writing  had 
passed  under  his  studious  and  thoughtful  gaze.  Nor 
was  his  philosophic  reading  confined  to  dusty  tomes 
or  classic  productions,  but  the  latest  word  uttered  by 
any  writer  of  any  School  had  in  him  an  instant  and 
critical  hearer.  For  example.  Bain,  Spencer,  Fiske, 
Royce,  Bowne,  Ladd,  James,  all  were  subjected  to  the 
inspection  and  review  of  his  searching  metaphysical 
judgment  and  criticism.  He  belonged  to  the  Scotch 
School,  not  because  he  knew  no  other,  but  he  belonged 
to  the  Scotch  School  because  he  knew  all  the  others 
and  knew  that  the  essential  doctrines  of  that  School 
were  confirmed  by  the  catholic  conclusions  of  the 
philosophers  not  of  a  passing  day  but  of  the  ages  and 
of  the  world.  He  was  not  a  slavish  or  timid  adherent 
of  the  School  of  Common  Sense,  for  he  brought  into 
still  clearer  explication,  subjected  to  more  searching 
analysis,  and  set  on  still  more  evident  right  relation- 
ship to  each  other,  some  of  the  fundamental  doctrines 
of  this  School,  and  in  these  respects  his  chief  merit  as  a 
philosopher  is  to  be  found.  While  not  exhausting  the 
specifications,  I  will  proceed  to  mention  some  of  the 
particulars  in  which  Dr.  Girardeau  has  made  a  dis- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  289 

tinct  advance  in  his  exposition  of  the  philosophy  of 
Common  Sense : — 

First.  His  exposition  of  consciousness  contains  dis- 
tinctly new  elements  of  truth  as  compared  with  the 
doctrine  upon  this  subject  advanced  by  any  of  his  pre- 
decessors in  this  School.  Consciousness,  perception 
and  immediate  knowledge  are  one  and  the  same  with 
Dr.  Girardeau.  He  differs  from  Reid's  view,  that  we 
are  conscious  of  the  act  of  perceiving  an  external 
object  but  not  of  the  object  itself,  and  he  differs  from 
the  view  of  Hamilton  that  Ave  are  conscious  of  the  act 
of  perceiving  the  external  object.  Dr.  Girardeau  main- 
taining that  the  act  of  perceiving  the  external  object 
and  the  consciousness  of  that  object  are  identical — it 
is  impossible  to  distinguish  between  the  perception  of 
an  external  object  and  the  consciousness  of  that  object. 
In  the  clear  and  irrefragable  establishment  of  this 
position,  our  Southern  philosopher  has  rendered  an 
invaluable  service  to  the  cause  of  natural  realism  as 
opposed  to  the  theory  of  representative  perception  in 
all  of  its  forms  of  hypothetical  realism,  hypothetical 
dualism  or  cosmothetic  idealism,  for  Hamilton's  view 
that  we  perceive  the  external  object  as  distinct  from 
the  consciousness  of  that  object  logically  involves  the 
doctrine  of  representative  perception  though  in  its 
most  unrecognized  and  sublimated  form,  especially 
when  it  is  coupled  with  Hamilton's  further  view  that 
the  external  object  of  perception  is  modified  by  the 
mind,  in  fact,  is  itself  but  a  mode  of  the  stimulated 
nervous  organism  or  sensorium.  Dr.  Girardeau's  doc- 
trine is  necessary  in  order  to  save  the  day  for  a  phil- 
osophic exposition  of  the  dictum  of  common  sense,  as 
all  men  naturally  hold  it,  that  in  sense  perception  we 
are  directly  conscious  of  an  external  object  with  which 


290  The  Life  Work  of 

we  know  ourselves  to  be  immediately  in  contact.  The 
perceiving  act  is  itself  an  act  of  consciousness,  for  if 
not,  consciousness  can  only  have  a  mediate  knowledge 
through  perception  of  the  external  world  and  the 
whole  doctrine  of  our  immediate  consciousness  of  the 
reality  of  the  material  object  is  surrendered. 

Dr.  Girardeau  further  advances  the  Scottish  phil- 
osophy in  his  proof  that  consciousness  is  not  a  generic 
but  a  special  faculty  with  a  catholic  relation  to  all  the 
other  faculties.  Consciousness  cannot  be  the  genus 
under  which  all  the  cognitive  powers  are  reduced  as 
species,  because  by  its  very  nature  and  definition  con- 
sciousness is  immediate  knowledge,  but  these  are  facul- 
ties of  mediate  knowledge,  as  memory,  imagination, 
thought  (in  the  narrow  sense  of  conception),  and  to 
force  these  into  unity  would  be  to  rub  out  that  neces- 
sary and  invaluable  distinction  between  immediate 
and  mediate  knowledge  so  vital  to  philosophy,  theo- 
logy and  religion.  In  inconsistently  holding  that  all 
forms  of  cognition  are  modes  of  consciousness,  and  that 
therefore  we  really  know  nothing  which  we  do  not 
immediately  know  the  great  Scotch  philosopher  Ham- 
ilton laid  himself  open  to  the  charge  that  the  human 
mind  cannot  know  God,  the  soul,  substance,  cause, 
those  great  realities  which  can  only  be  mediately 
known.  In  unduly  elevating  the  importance  of  imme- 
diate knoAvledge  and  depressing  the  value  of  mediate 
knowledge,  Hamilton  was  guilty  of  a  philosophic  sin, 
from  which  the  insight  of  Dr.  Girardeau  would  save 
this  School,  through  the  doctrine  that  consciousness  or 
perception,  internal  and  external,  is  the  faculty  of 
immediate  knowledge,  while  there  are  coordinate  fac- 
ulties of  mediate  knowledge,  the  representative,  the 
thinking   and   the   believing   faculties.     The    supreme 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  291 

import  and  scientific  value  of  mediate  knowledge  is  a 
doctrine  central  to  any  sound  philosophy,  and  Dr. 
Girardeau  gave  it  a  setting  and  a  defense,  validating 
it  in  the  forum  of  right  reason  in  higher  degree  than 
any  of  the  philosophers  of  this  School,  or,  for  that 
matter,  any  of  the  current  philosophers  of  the  past. 
The  key  to  many  of  the  problems  which  distress  the 
modern  mind  and  perplexes  much  of  so-called  modern 
theologizing  is  in  this  evidently  patent  but  much  neg- 
lected distinction,  whose  clear  recognition  can  alone 
reduce  to  order  our  theories  as  to  the  powers  and  oper- 
ations of  the  human  reason  and  enable  us  to  see,  for 
example,  that  though  we  can  not  bring  God  into  the 
field  of  consciousness  and  therefore  immediately  know 
Him,  we  can,  through  the  synthesis  of  faith  and 
thought,  have  a  valid  though  mediate  knowledge  of 
God,  which  enables  us  to  say  that  we  really  know  Him. 
Second.  Dr.  Girardeau's  exposition  of  the  phil- 
osophic nature  of  faith  is  one  of  his  chief  contribu- 
tions to  this  great  science.  In  fact,  it  is  impossible  to 
find  in  the  entire  history  of  philosophic  thought  so 
thorough  and  exhaustive  an  analysis  and  discussion 
of  the  psychology  of  faith  on  the  one  hand  and  on  the 
other  of  its  logical  and  rational  relations  to  the  realm 
of  ontology.  A  much  needed  service  is  rendered  here 
which  clears  up  many  perplexing  questions  which  have 
for  ages  afflicted  philosophy  and  theology.  As  to  its 
psychology,  faith  is  one  of  the  mediate  cognitive 
powers.  In  Dr.  Girardeau's  system,  the  human  reason 
or  intellect  is  the  genus  distributed  into  the  two 
species ;  first,  immediate  knowledge  or  consciousness  or 
internal  and  external  perception,  and  second,  mediate 
knowledge,  still  further  distributed  into  the  three 
coordinate  faculties,  the  representative,  the  thinking. 


292  The  Life  Work  of 

the  believing.  The  most  important  point  here  is  to 
distinguish  between  the  thinking  faculty  or  the  power 
of  thought  and  the  believing  faculty  or  the  power  of 
faith.  All  the  other  cognitive  powers  of  the  soul, 
including  thought,  are  confined  within  the  region  of 
the  phenomenal.  The  knowledge  which  they  furnish 
begins  with  consciousness  in  the  form  of  perception 
of  our  own  mental  modes  or  perception  of  external 
objects;  then  next  the  representative  faculty  in  the 
form  either  of  memory  or  imagination  reproduces  this 
perceptive  knowledge  or  combines  it  in  new  relations 
or  shapes.  But  no  new  elements  can  be  added,  for  it 
is  impossible  to  re-present  anything  which  has  not  been 
first  presented.  Then  the  thinking  faculties  works 
over  in  its  processes  the  materials  which  have  been  fur- 
nished by  the  perceptive  or  representative  faculty,  but 
thought  cannot  transcend  the  phenomenal  realm  to 
which  both  perception  and  representation  are  confined, 
for  it  builds  percepts  into  concepts,  it  receives  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  presentative  or  representative  power  and 
adds  nothing  save  thought  relations  in  creating  its 
OAvn  thought  products;  the  human  reason  is  still 
moving  in  the  phenomenal  world  through  the  opera- 
tions of  all  these  faculties.  But  it  is  the  very  nature 
of  the  believing  faculty,  of  the  power  of  faith  to  trans- 
scend  thought  or  the  phenomenal  realm  in  the  appre- 
hension of  occult  or  transcendental  realities.  This  con- 
trast between  thought  and  faith,  between  the  thinking 
and  the  believing  faculty,  while  both  are  modes  of 
reason,  received  the  singular  and  illumining  emphasis 
it  needed  in  Dr.  Girardeau's  philosophy.  Many  phil- 
osophers fail  to  grasp  the  distinction  between  the  con- 
cepts and  abstract  notions  which  thought  builds  and 
the  beliefs  and  faith- judgments  which  the  believing 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  293 

faculty  delivers,  and  hence  they  grope  in  total  dark- 
ness before  such  questions  as  to  the  Knowableness  or 
Unknowableness  of  God.  Their  philosophy  makes  no 
provision  for  the  reply  that  while  thought  can  not 
conceive  Him,  the  believing  faculty  can  apprehend 
and  truly  know  Him.  The  true  distinction  is  not 
between  faith  and  knowledge,  but  between  thought- 
knowledge  and  thought-]* udgments  and  faith-knowl- 
edge and  faith-judgments. 

These  beliefs  exist,  first,  in  the  form  of  latent  apti- 
tudes or  fundamental  laws  of  belief  at  the  root  of  the 
believing  faculty,  and  while  they  furnish  the  condi- 
tions of  experience  they  are  elicited  into  formal  expres- 
sion by  experience  itself.  That  is,  the  operations  of 
the  perceptive,  representative,  comparative  or  thought 
faculties  furnish  the  occasions  upon  which  as  neces- 
sary and  immediate  inferences  from  the  data  furnished 
by  these  powers  the  mind  or  reason  affirms  these  beliefs 
or  faith- judgments,  in  which  new  elements  of  cogni- 
tion and  reality  are  added  to  the  products  of  the  other 
cognitive  powers.  Such,  for  example,  are  our  con- 
victions as  to  Space,  Duration,  Substance,  Cause,  Per- 
sonality and  the  Infinite.  None  of  these  are  concepts 
or  notions  built  by  thought  or  the  elaborative  or  com- 
parative faculty,  and  which  therefore  can  be  analyzed 
into  the  elements  out  of  which  they  are  constructed. 
They  are  inconceivable  or  incogitable  in  the  sense  that 
the  thinking  faculty  did  not  make  them  nor  can  it 
resolve  them  into  their  constituent  parts;  but  they  are 
not  unknowable  or  incognoscible,  because  the  believing 
faculty  apprehends  and  knows  them.  They  can  not 
be  comprehended  by  thought,  but  they  are  affirmed 
and  known  bv  faith. 


294  The  Life  Work  of 

If  pressed  for  a  definition  of  faith,  Dr.  Girardeau 
would  answer,  that  it  is  intellectual  assent  grounded 
upon  testimony.  It  therefore  discharges  a  double 
office:  first,  it  is  a  voucher  for  the  other  powers  as 
when,  for  example,  we  perceive  an  external  object  and 
therefore  immediately  know  or  are  conscious  of  its 
presence,  we  say  we  believe  in  its  existence.  We  do 
not  mean  that  our  consciousness  or  immediate  knowl- 
edge of  the  object  is  one  with  our  faith;  they  are  not 
the  same.  We  know  the  object  through  consciousness 
and  this  knowledge  is  buttressed  by  the  faith  we  have 
in  the  testimony  of  our  consciousness.  Our  faith  sus- 
tains this  catholic  relation  to  all  our  cognitic  powers, 
presentative.  representative,  comparative;  we  know 
through  these  powers  and  we  know  through  the  faith 
we  have  in  these  powers.  In  other  words,  our  faith 
in  the  testimony  of  these  faculties  is  a  knowledge  that 
these  powers  in  their  normal  activities  are  trustworthy. 
Secondly,  faith  discharges  another  office  in  originating 
knowledge  which  is  beyond  the  reach  of  the  other  cog- 
nitive powers.  ''Our  believing  power  forms  judgment 
as  to  existence  beyond  the  reach  of  consciousness  and 
thought.  They  are  faith-judgments;  and  faith-judg- 
ments are  as  valid  grounds  of  knowledge  as  are 
thought-judgments."  The  contribution  which  Dr. 
Grirardeau  has  rendered  to  philosophy  and  theology  in 
making  clear  and  scoring  deep  these  distinctions, 
entitles  him  to  the  philosophic  crown.  The  antinomies 
with  which  philosophers  have  struggled  can  all  be  set- 
tled here :  the  antilogies  of  Kant,  Hamilton  and  Man- 
sel,  all  disappear  before  this  ripe  and  rational  phil- 
osophy. The  conciliation  of  reason  and  faith  which 
has  been  the  dream  of  countless  aspiring  minds  is  an 
accomplished    fact,   for   reason   has   no  higher   power 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  295 

than  faith,  and  the  human  intellect  finds  its  glory  as 
a  wondrous  organism  made  by  its  divine  Author,  to 
know  both  Him  and  His  World  in  its  believing  faculty 
by  which  transcendental  realities  and  the  Infinite  God 
are  brought  within  the  reach  of  human  apprehension 
and  knowledge.  The  student  who  had  learned  these 
great  principles  from  Dr.  Girardeau  had  a  guide  which 
directed  him  safely  through  all  the  mazes  and  per- 
plexities of  modern  thought,  and  was  unscathed  and 
unharmed  by  the  fierce  conflict  which  false  and  oppos- 
ing philosophies  waged  upon  the  truth.  Here,  evi- 
dently, was  the  key  to  true  philosophy,  and  he  who 
was  ever  privileged,  as  many  of  us  are  grateful  we 
were,  to  hear  this  master  expounder  of  his  own  phil- 
osophy, explain  and  enforce  his  doctrine  of  faith  in 
the  fields  of  psychology,  ontology  and  theology  have 
found  no  subsequent  reason  to  doubt  that  the  everlast- 
ing rock  was  solid  beneath  our  feet.  The  philosophy  of 
religion  has  therefore  had  no  abler  exponent  or  more 
convincing  expounder  in  the  history  of  our  Church, 
and  the  time  has  come  when  his  reward  is  sure,  for  the 
service  he  has  done  for  multitudes  of  students,  and 
which  he  will  continue  to  do  for  all  who  will  carefully 
read  the  books  which  he  has  left  behind  him.  His 
"Philosophic  Discussions"  ought  to  be  a  text-book  in 
all  our  Theological  Seminaries. 

Third.  Dr.  Girarddeau's  doctrine  as  to  the  Will  is  a 
distinct  philosophic  and  theological  advance  in  this 
vexed  field.  According  to  his  view,  the  will  is  the 
power  in  which  the  causal  efficiency  of  the  soul  resides 
and  through  which  the  man  determines  or  originates 
his  own  acts.  The  will,  therefore,  in  a  derived,  depen- 
dent and  limited  sense  is  a  first  cause,  that  is,  the  will 
originates  not  new  being  in  the  sense  of  substance,  but 


29G  The  Life  Work  of 

originates  phenomenal  changes  within  the  soul  itself. 
In  the  analysis  of  the  will  there  is  found  besides  this 
inherent  spontaneity  or  causal  efficiency :  first,  a  nisiis 
toward  action  produced  by  the  impulse  of  the  feelings 
upon  the  will,  described  in  the  terms  conation  or  the 
velleitas  of  the  schoolmen,  and  second,  deliberate  elec- 
tion, choice,  volition  or  the  arhityium  of  the  scholastics. 
The  distinction  between  the  freedom  of  the  man  and 
the  freedom  of  the  will  has  no  rightful  place,  since 
the  will  is  the  very  power  of  action  through  which  the 
fredom  of  the  man  is  expressed,  and  if  the  will  be 
enslaved  or  necessitated,  the  man  is  enslaved  or  neces- 
sitated. The  distinction  between  liberty  and  ability 
also  disappears,  for  to  say  a  man  is  able  to  do  holy 
acts  is  to  affirm  that  he  is  free  to  do  these  acts,  and  to 
deny  his  ability  to  do  holy  acts,  is  to  deny  his  freedom 
to  do  these  acts.  Of  course,  liberty  and  ability  may 
be  affirmed  in  one  sense  of  the  man,  and  then  be  both 
denied  in  another  sense  to  the  same  man,  but  ability 
cannot  be  affirmed  of  this  man  and  then  in  the  same 
reference  liberty  be  denied  him.  The  distinction 
between  natural  and  moral  ability  has  no  real  validity, 
for  the  only  natural  ability  must  of  necessity  be  moral 
if  it  have  any  existence  at  all.  To  deny  moral  is  also 
to  deny  natural  ability.  A  valid  distinction  of  great 
value  which  would  be  of  great  service  is  that  between 
natural — moral  ability  and  spiritual  ability.  The  first 
may  and  does  exist  in  multitudes  of  cases,  while  the 
second  is  not  possessed.  The  terms  necessity  and  lib- 
erty with  Dr.  Girardeau  are  correlatives.  Necessity 
may  mean  first,  the  relation  between  resistless  physical 
force  and  the  effect  it  produces,  the  necessity  of  co-ac- 
tion or  compulsion;  or  second,  it  may  mean  the  relation 
between  any  influence  and  the  results  which  certainly 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  297 

and  unavoidably  flow  from  it — what  is  termed  moral 
necessity.  Viewed  in  reference  to  the  first  kind  of 
necessity,  liberty  is  the  absence  of  compulsion  or  the 
power  to  do  as  one  pleases  without  constraint  or 
restraint.  Considered  in  reference  to  the  second  kind 
of  necessity,  liberty  is  the  power  to  act  voluntarily  but 
unavoidably,  or  it  is  the  power  to  act  voluntarily  but 
contingently.  Freedom  to  act  voluntarily  but  unavoid- 
ably consists  w^ith  certainty  or  moral  necessity,  since 
the  spontaneity  or  dispositions  or  habitus  of  the  soul 
determines  the  acts;  but  the  power  to  act  voluntarily 
but  contingently  is  inconsistent  with  any  kind  of 
necessity,  since  a  contingent  act  is  one  which  may  or 
may  not  happen.  The  liberty  of  contingency,  there- 
fore, and  the  power  of  contrary  choice — facultas  aliter 
se  determinandi — are  one  and  the  same. 

This  brings  up  the  age-long  debate  between  the 
advocates  of  Necessitarianism  or  Determinism  or 
moral  necessity  or  certainty  on  the  one  hand  and  those 
who  maintain  that  the  Freedom  of  the  Will  neces- 
sarily and  always  involves  the  power  of  otherwise 
determining  or  choosing  between  alternatives,  in  other 
words,  the  Power  of  Contrary  Choice.  Dr.  Girar- 
deau's skill  and  patience  and  philosophic  insight  are 
seen  in  the  successful  way  in  which  he  threads  the 
mazes  of  this  intricate  and  perplexing  theme.  He 
holds  the  theory  of  Determinism  in  reference  to  God 
and  the  elect  angels  and  glorified  saints  and  the  human 
will  of  Christ,  for  it  is  evident  that  in  these  cases  the 
holy  dispositions  or  subjective  spontaneity  effectively 
control  the  volitions  and  acts.  The  theory  of  Deter- 
minism also  holds  in  relation  to  fallen  and  unregen- 
erate  men  whose  unholy  dispositions  of  necessity  con- 
trol their  volitions  and  acts,  since  by  their  sins  they 


298  The  Life  Work  of 

are  deprived  of  communion  with  God,  the  only  source 
of  holiness,  and  since  the  penal  sentence  of  the  vio- 
lated law  rests  upon  them.  But  Determinism  will  not 
explain  the  strategic  case  of  Adam.  His  dispositions 
were  all  holy,  but  his  volition  to  sin  traversed  and 
dashed  down  those  dispositions.  In  order  to  fit  Adam 
for  his  probation — not  to  make  him  free — there  was 
added  to  his  spontaneity  the  power  of  contrary  choice. 
He  was  given  Freedom  of  the  will  not  in  the  sense  of 
the  power  to  act  voluntarily,  but  in  the  sense  of  the 
power  to  act  contingently,  that  is,  of  otherwise  deter- 
mining or  choosing  between  alternatives.  And  in  the 
exercise  of  this  power  of  contrary  choice  he  overrode 
his  own  holy  spontaneity  and  dispositions,  and  since 
his  sin  severed  the  bond  which  united  him  to  God  and 
brought  upon  him  the  curse  of  the  law,  his  holy  dis- 
positions were  substituted  by  unholy  dispositions  and 
he  came  under  the  penal  necessity  of  expressing  these 
sinful  dispositions  by  corresponding  volitions  and 
acts — a  necessity  which  his  descendants  share  with 
him.  Nor  will  Determinism  apply  fully  to  the  case  of 
regenerate  and  imperfectly  sanctified  men,  who  have 
two  subjective  spontaneities,  the  one  holy,  the  other 
sinful,  and  whose  choice  sometimes  approves  the  one, 
sometimes  the  other.  And  even  in  the  case  of  unre- 
generate  men.  Determinism,  while  holding  in  the 
spiritual  realm,  does  not  always  hold  in  the  natural, 
civil  or  merely  moral  spheres.  The  conduct  of  life, 
the  administration  of  government,  our  judgments  of 
self  and  others,  are  all  grounded  on  the  belief  that  men 
have  the  power  within  these  limits  of  otherwise  deter- 
mining. This  is  not  a  deliverance  of  consciousness, 
but  it  is  an  inference  which  men  well-nigh  universally 
draw  from  the  data  of  consciousness. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  299 

But  the  case  of  Adam  is  the  test  which  explodes 
Determinism  or  moral  necessity  as  a  complete  theory 
of  the  will  or  an  exhaustive  interpretation  of  the  Free- 
dom of  the  Will.  If  Adam's  subjective  dispositions 
must  effectively  control  his  will,  then  Adam  would 
have  remained  holy  until  this  day;  for  it  is  not  sup- 
posable  that  God  gave  him  unholy  dispositions  at 
creation,  for  this  w^ould  make  God  the  real  author  of 
Adam's  sin  and  w^ould  make  it  impossible  to  impute 
guilt  to  the  sinner  who  sinned  by  necessity  from  the 
very  nature  which  God  created  within  him.  Adam  as 
a  non-elect  probationer,  had  the  power  of  otherwise 
determining,  and  in  the  use  of  this  perilous  form  of 
freedom  or  power  of  contrary  choice,  he  sinned  in  the 
very  teeth  of  his  own  holy  inclinations  and  disposi- 
tions. Dr.  Girardeau's  wonderful  powers  of  analysis, 
and  the  combined  acuteness  and  penetration  with 
which  he  saw  into  the  heart  of  every  problem,  robbed 
of  all  its  accidental  or  non-essential  qualities,  is 
nowhere  more  evident  than  in  the  striking  and  con- 
vincing discussion  in  which  he  expounds  the  first  sin 
of  our  first  parents.  Following  a  clue  which  had  been 
given  by  Bishop  Butler  he  shows  how  the  blind 
impulses  or  appetencies  implanted  in  Adam's  original 
constitution  were  the  avenues  through  which  the  temp- 
tation to  the  first  sin  came.  Hunger  or  the  desire  for 
the  beautiful  fruit,  and  curiosity  or  the  desire  for 
greatly  increased  knowledge,  were  appetencies  which, 
had  no  moral  quality  in  themselves  and  which  could 
receive  moral  quality  only  as  they  were  directed  to 
forbidden  objects.  These  blind  impulses  were  aroused 
and  inflamed  not  by  the  subjective  spontaneity  but  by 
the  art  of  the  tempter  in  addressing  Eve.  Nor  was 
the  force  which  they  possessed  derived  from  any  pre- 


300  The  Life  Work  of 

vious  activity  of  the  understanding:  on  the  contrary, 
they  determined  the  views  of  the  understanding  as  to 
the  desirability  of  the  forbidden  objects;  so  that  with- 
out deriving  motivity  from  subjective  dispositions  or 
without  precedent  acts  of  the  understanding,  these 
blind  impulses  smote  directly  upon  the  will  and 
clamored  for  gratification.  The  exact  function  of  the 
will  was  to  elect  between  the  motives  springing  from 
the  holy  spontaneity  and  the  gratification  for  which 
the  appetencies  begged.  The  will  had  the  power  to 
approve  either  in  this  supremely  strategic  test  case. 
In  the  case  of  Adam,  instead  of  the  blind  impulses  of 
hunger  and  curiosity,  we  must  substitute  the  powerful 
appetencies  and  sympathies  which  bound  him  to  Eve 
and  which  he  elected  to  endorse  rather  than  his  own 
holy  inclinations  or  dispositions,  though  it  meant  that 
he  must  break  with  his  God  and  ruin  his  race.  Dr. 
Girardeau  has  put  his  finger  upon  the  solution  of  the 
puzzle  right  at  this  point  and  his  commentary  on  the 
first  sin  is  as  fine  an  illustration  of  philosophy  and 
theologA^  combined  as  can  be  found  in  the  history  of 
the  American  Church. 

Our  distinguished  philosopher  has  to  a  certain 
extent  been  misunderstood  by  some,  who  failed  to 
grasp  his  whole  doctrine  of  the  Will.  He  was  in  r)art 
a  Determinist,  that  is,  in  the  several  cases  of  God,  the 
elect  angels,  glorified  saints,  our  Lord's  human  will, 
unregenerate  men  as  under  a  penal  necessity  of  sin- 
ning; but  according  to  his  view.  Determinism  is  not  a 
completely  satisfactory  theory  for  it  does  not  provide 
for  the  case  of  Adam,  or  partially  sanctified  regenerate 
men,  or  fallen  and  unregenerate  men  in  the  field  of  the 
natural  and  the  merely  moral.  In  particular  this 
theory    fails    to    discriminate    as    it    should    between 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  301 

motives  as  final  and  efficient  causes.  The  theory 
asserts  that  the  motives  or  the  intention  effectually 
control  the  decision  of  the  will,  and  this  is  usually 
interpreted  to  mean  that  the  motives  as  efficient  cause 
necessitate  in  one  specific  direction  the  election  of  the 
will.  This  throws  the  seat  of  inherent  causuality  m 
the  soul  from  the  will  to  the  motives  or  desires  and 
revolutionizes  the  catholic  beliefs  of  the  race  and  the 
conclusions  of  sound  philosophy;  moreover,  it  misin- 
terprets the  function  of  motives  which  serve  as  the 
final  causes  in  accordance  with  which  the  will  acts 
and  not  necessarily  as  efficient  causes  controlling  and 
mastering  the  will.  For  example,  the  glory  of  God  is 
the  final  cause  of  man's  salvation,  but  it  is  not  the 
efficient  cause  which  secures  this  result,  and  the  motives 
or  intention  show  us  the  end  which  the  will  has  in 
view,  but  they  are  not  the  efficient  cause  of  the  will's 
action,  for  that  efficient  cause  is  the  will  itself.  Again, 
the  theory  that  the  last  view  of  the  understanding 
decides  and  determines  the  election  of  the  will  is  con- 
tradicted by  the  instance  of  the  blind  impulses  or 
appetencies  which  without  and  prior  to  endorsement 
by  the  understanding  smote  upon  the  will  and  ask  for 
indulgence.  These  impulses  are  called  blind  by  Butler, 
precisely  because  independently  of  the  understanding 
they  seek  gratification ;  of  course,  they  emerge  in  con- 
sciousness or  the  soul  would  know  nothing  of  them, 
but  their  motivety  or  impulsive  powers  is  in  no  wise 
due  to  the  understanding.  In  this  capital  example, 
both  of  these  aspects  of  Determinism  are  negatived 
and  vetoed,  and  its  sufficiency  as  a  complete  theory  of 
Free- Agency  in  all  of  its  possible  forms  is  disproven. 

But  I  cannot  pursue  this  subject  further — Dr.  Girar- 
deau's "Freedom  of  the  Will  in  its  Theological  Kela- 


302  The  Life  Work  of 

tions"  expounds  these  views  with  a  sun-like  clearness 
and  a  massive  simplicity  which  are  a  delight  to  the 
earnest  student.  The  human  mind  has  made  in  this 
book  its  farthest  advance  into  this  vexed  and  debated 
field.  And  the  Signal  Service  rendered  is  to  show 
that  Calvinism  is  in  the  most  essential  harmony  with 
the  only  sound  and  rational  philosophy.  I  wish  that 
this  able  and  convincing  discussion  were  mastered  by 
all  our  ministers  and  officers,  the  inevitable  result 
would  be  the  calm  and  immovable  conviction  of  the 
rationality,  as  well  as  Scripturalness  of  that  system  of 
doctrine  which  Paul,  Augustine,  Calvin,  the  great 
Eeformed  Confessions  and  a  long  list  of  theologians 
all  hold  as  the  sum  and  substance  of  the  revealed 
Word  and  as  in  perfect  harmony  with  right  reason, 
when  the  insight  of  a  real  philosopher  obtains  for  us 
the  reason's  true  deliverances. 

This  is  a  very  inadequate  representation  of  the 
cogency  and  convincingness  of  Dr.  Girardeau's  views 
upon  these  great  themes  and  of  the  value  of  his  other 
discussions  of  the  standing  problems  of  the  human 
reason,  for  scattered  through  his  works  one  will  find 
a  complete  philosophy,  not  formally,  but  virtually 
elaborated.  Dr.  Girardeau  largely  confined  himself 
to  the  perennial  problems  of  pure  philosophy  and  his 
extensive  philosophical  library  showed  his  mastery  of 
the  thinking  of  all  the  world's  masters  in  this  realm 
and  upon  the  basis  of  this  oecumenical  knowledge  he 
builded  the  structure  of  his  life-work  in  the  erection 
of  his  philosoj^hical  system;  and  when  the  coming 
revival  of  philosophy,  which  is  as  sure  to  come  as  the 
human  reason  remains  the  same  with  its  inexorable 
demands  for  satisfaction  in  the  reduction  of  all  its 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  303 

knowledge  to  unity  in  the  valid  and  philosophic  knowl- 
edge of  the  First  Cause  and  the  First  Substance,  shall 
have  arrived,  then  Dr.  Girardeau  will  receive  the 
crown  which  is  his  due  as  the  Philosopher  of  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church. 


CHAPTER  X 


THE  THEOLOGIAN 

By  Thornton  Whaling,  D.  D..  LL.  D. 

Dr.  Girardeau  was  the  most  philosophic  of  theolo- 
gians, but  his  interest  in  philosophy  was  not  for  its 
own  sake,  but  for  the  necessary  service  which  true 
philosophy  renders  to  a  sound  theology.  The  two 
cannot  be  divorced  and  the  attempt,  as  in  Ritschlian- 
ism  and  that  strange  abortion.  Pragmatism,  only  ends 
in  the  importation  of  a  radically  false  and  vitiating 
philosophy  under  a  slender  disguise  into  the  theologi- 
cal system.  In  fact  the  two  are  united  in  the  Revealed 
Word,  for  there  is  a  biblical  philosophy  as  there  is  a 
biblical  theology;  and  we  cannot  really  accept  the 
Revealed  theology  if  we  refuse  the  Revealed  phil- 
osophy— they  are  so  builded  together  as  to  be  one  and 
inseparable.  The  three  great  departments  of  phil- 
osophy, ethics,  psychology,  ontology  or  metaphysics 
proper,  all  have  adequate  representation  in  the  inspired 
Word.  Ethics,  which  treats  of  such  subjects  as  the 
nature,  ground,  standard  of  duty  and  like  topics,  evi- 
dently constitutes  a  considerable  section  of  Revelation, 
and  Christian  Ethics  infallibly  taught  in  the  Bible  is 
an  indispensable  part  of  the  divine  book,  which  ought, 
by  the  way,  to  receive  more  attention  than  it  does  in 
our  theological  education  and  pulpit  exposition.  Psy- 
chology, which  treats  of  the  mental  and  psychical 
powers  and  activities  of  the  human  being,  is  both  pre- 
supposed and  unfolded  in  the  Word,  so  that  a  biblical 
psychology  is   an   easy   and   evident   science.     If  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D,  305 

Bible  does  not  teach  that  man  is  a  spiritual  being  with 
capacities,  to  perceive,  remember,  know,  believe,  feel 
and  will,  then  nothing  can  ever  be  taught  in  the  lan- 
guages of  men.  Ontology  or  metaphysics  in  the  nar- 
row sense  which  treats  of  fundamental  reality  is 
wrought  into  the  very  texture  of  the  revealed  Word, 
in  its  testimony  to  the  existence  of  God,  Spirit,  Mat- 
ter, Cause,  Substance  and  the  relations  between  these. 
Christian  Theism  and  Natural  Theology  in  perfect 
form  are  not  the  unaided  discoveries  of  human  reason, 
but  are  republished  and  expounded  in  the  Written 
Word.  Philosophy  in  this  sense  of  the  biblical  ethics, 
psychology  and  ontology  underlies  the  whole  structure 
of  the  theology  of  redemption  which  is  thus  builded 
upon  these  philosophic  pre-suppositions.  Dr.  Girar- 
deau's profound  interest  in  philosophy  therefore  rested 
upon  the  base  of  the  inherently  necessary  service  which 
as  an  ally  and  handmaid  j)hilosophy  must  render  to 
the  "queen  of  all  the  sciences." 

At  the  same  time,  Dr.  Girardeau  was  one  of  the  most 
biblical  of  theologians.  Careful,  grammatical  and 
logical  exegesis,  according  to  the  most  approved  meth- 
ods of  interpretation  so  as  to  teach  the  real  meaning 
of  the  Word  were  applied,  and  when  the  deliverances 
of  the  divine  Revelation  were  reached  they  were 
accepted  without  a  question  as  final  and  authoritative. 
But  he  regarded  it  as  a  legitimate  and  necessary  pro- 
cedure for  the  scientific  and  systematic  theologian  to 
take  these  deliverances  into  the  forum  of  human  rea- 
son and  to  interrogate  philosophy  whether  it  had  any 
words  to  speak  in  confirmation  or  elucidation  of  the 
inspired  teachings.  And  exactly  at  this  point  his  chief 
distinction  as  a  theologian  of  the  very  first  order 
appears,   that    he    married    philosophy    and    theology 


306  The  Life  Work  of 

with  consummate  skill  into  a  harmonious  union  where 
no  discordant  and  contradictory  words  were  spoken 
by  the  two  parties  so  happily  and  fittingly  mated  in 
this  great  expounder's  system.  He  is  a  master  in  show- 
ing how  the  divine  reason  in  the  Book  and  human 
reason  in  philosophy  both  speak  with  consenting  voice 
upon  every  theme  where  they  make  common  or  joint 
deliverances,  and  even  in  the  strictly  supernatural 
realm  where  the  divine  testimony  alone  is  heard,  he 
still  remains  the  philosophic  master  in  showing  that 
philosophy  has  no  word  of  counter  or  divergent  testi- 
mony to  utter.  This  is  the  title  by  which  he  holds  the 
future  and  the  evidence  that  he  will  surely  come  to 
his  own  in  the  recognition  that  he  is  entitled  to  the 
loftiest  place  as  an  interpreter  of  the  Calvinistic  theo- 
logy, for  he  is  without  any  superior  in  the  signal  skill 
and  success  with  which  he  demonstrates  that  theology 
is  endorsed  and  confirmed  by  philosophy  wherever 
philosophy  speaks  at  all,  and  that  in  no  case  does  true 
philosophy  utter  a  word  of  protest  or  dissent  from  the 
teachings  of  a  sound  and  scriptural  theology.  False 
systems  like  Pelagianism,  Socinianism,  Arminianism, 
the  new  theology  in  all  its  forms,  are  ground  to  pow- 
der, not  simply  by  showing  that  they  have  no  support 
in  God's  Word,  but  that  they  also  have  no  standing 
before  a  rational  philosophy.  And  upon  the  unsur- 
passed skill  with  which  he  discharges  this  highest 
function  of  the  systematic  theologian,  his  renown  will 
finally  rest,  when  the  sober  judgment  of  an  informed 
church  has  come  to  appraise  him  at  his  true  value. 

It  deserves  to  be  added  also  that  Dr.  Girardeau  was 
a  loj^al  and  consistent  Confessional  theologian.  All 
the  Reformed  Symbols  were  much  used  and  quoted 
by  him  and  the  Westminster  Standards  in  particular 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  307 

were  first  set  in  their  proper  relations  to  the  Scrip- 
tures as  clearly  taught  therein;  and  then  second,  with 
no  less  clearness  these  Standards  were  set  in  their 
right  relations  to  right  thinking  and  approved  truth. 
He  had  an  extensive  acquaintance  with  the  writings 
of  the  Westminster  divines  which  illuminated  and 
guided  his  use  of  the  Westminster  Symbols.  There 
was  no  other  theologian  with  whom  he  had  greater 
mental  and  spiritual  affinities  than  with  John  Calvin 
himself,  and  the  great  Genevan  has  never  had  one  who 
more  thoroughly  and  carefully  mastered  his  Institutes 
and  other  books  than  our  Columbia  professor.  He  was 
no  slavish  follower  of  the  great  Reformed  theologian, 
but  when  he  differed  from  him  it  was  only  after  the 
most  careful  and  mature  reflection.  No  theologian  of 
our  day  has  studied  Calvin  more,  lived  with  him  longer 
or  understood  him  better.  There  were  striking  intel- 
lectual and  spiritual  affinities  between  the  two,  coming 
of  the  same  race  and  built  largely  on  the  same  model 
as  to  mental  constitution.  Both  original  minds  of  the 
first  order,  both  philosophic  by  the  very  necessities  of 
their  individual  endowments,  and  both  architectonic 
by  inevitable  instinct.  AVhile  widely  read  in  both 
ancient  and  modern  theology,  Calvin  and  Thornwell 
influenced  him  more  largely  than  any  others.  As  a 
student  at  Charleston  College  and  Columbia  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  he  came  under  the  spell  of  the  great 
Dr.  James  Henley  Thornwell,  then  at  the  zenith  of 
his  career  as  a  preacher  and  teacher.  Though  never  a 
student  in  the  class-room  of  Thornwell,  either  at  the 
South  Carolina  College  or  Theological  Seminary,  the 
impress  of  his  fellow-Carolinian  was  deeply  scored 
upon  the  heart  and  mind  of  the  young  minister  who 
finallv  came  to  fill  so  worthilv  the  same  chair  of  theo- 


308  The  Life  Work  of 

logy  in  the  Columbia  school.  These  names  will  always 
be  united  in  the  splendid  history  of  that  noble  school 
and  the  theology  of  Thornwell  and  Girardeau  will 
doubtless  continue  to  represent  for  generations  the 
spirit  of  this  favored  Seminary.  It  was  Dr.  Girar- 
deau's good  fortune  to  succeed  Dr.  Thornwell  after  an 
interval  of  some  years,  and,  building  upon  the  good 
foundation  laid  by  his  predecessor,  to  carry  on  to 
virtual  comiDletion  his  own  system  of  theology.  Dr. 
Girardeau's  debt  to  Thornwell  was  a  large  one,  not  so 
much  for  the  amount  of  positive  contributions  made 
to  his  thinking  and  his  sj^stem,  as  for  the  impulse  and 
spirit  communicated  to  him  by  his  predecessor. 

I.  In  selecting  some  specimens  of  Dr.  Girardeau's 
theologizing,  the  first  instance  which  falls  to  be  men- 
tioned is  found  in  the  field  of  Introductory  Theology 
in  his  answer  to  the  objection  that  theology  cannot 
really  be  a  science,  because  it  involves  an  infinite  and 
therefore  an  inconceivable  and  indefinable  element, 
and  since  the  thinking  faculty  which  is  the  organ  of 
science  cannot  handle  an  inconceivable  element,  there 
cannot  therefore  be  a  valid  theological  science. 

Our  theologian's  reply  is,  that  every  science  begins 
with  an  indemonstrable,  inconceivable  and  indefinable 
element.  Such  is  the  Soul  with  which  metaphysics 
begins.  Such  is  personality  with  which  law  begins, 
continues  and  ends.  Such  is  life  with  which  Medicine 
deals.  Such  is  Substance,  upon  which  all  the  physical 
sciences  rest.  The  infinite  is  no  more  indefinable  than 
is  the  Soul,  Life,  Substance.  Further,  the  infinite  is 
a  datum  furnished  by  Kevelation.  If  the  Scriptures 
are  proven  to  be  from  God,  theology  may  accept  an 
infinite  God  as  validly  as  the  other  sciences  their  prin- 
cipia.    Moreover,  it  is  incorrect  to  represent  the  infinite 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  309 

God  and  his  perfections  as  reached  by  the  thinking 
faculty  alone.  The  statement  of  the  Pseudo-Dionysius 
that  Ave  reach  the  infinite  God  by  causation,  negation 
and  eminence  is  philosophically  false.  In  arguing 
from  causation,  we  use  the  category  of  cause  which  is 
not  a  concept  or  the  product  of  the  thinking  or  logical 
faculty,  but  is  a  fundamental  belief.  In  reaching  the 
infinite  attributes  of  God  we  do  not  negatively  think 
away  all  limitations  or  imperfections;  as  for  example 
with  the  attribute  of  power,  which  is  again  not  a  con- 
cept produced  by  the  thought  power,  but  which  is  a 
fundamental  faith.  In  no  case  do  we  perceive,  imagine 
or  conceive  the  attributes  of  God,  but  we  believe  them. 
Nor  can  we  by  way  of  eminence  heighten  finite  con- 
cepts by  the  thinking  faculty  or  the  power  of  logical 
elaboration  until  we  reach  the  infinite.  Pile  Pelion 
upon  Ossa,  add  finite  to  finite  and  you  still  have  the 
finite.  While  the  infinite  is  not  reached  by  the  discur- 
sive understanding  or  the  thinking  faculty  in  the  nar- 
row and  correct  sense  of  the  power  which  forms  con- 
cepts, yet  we  do  have  a  valid  apprehension  and  real 
knowledge  of  the  infinite.  Upon  conditions  of  expe- 
rience through  the  knowledge  by  the  thinking  faculty 
of  the  finite  around  us  and  within  us  there  is  developed 
that  fundamental  law  of  belief  which  enables  and 
necessitates  the  apprehension  and  knowledge  of  the 
infinite,  thus  reached  by  faith  or  belief,  which  is  as 
truly  rational  knowledge  as  is  thought  or  the  discur- 
sive understanding  or  the  faculty  of  logical  elabora- 
tion. The  infinite  is  known  by  a  faith- judgment  which 
is  as  true  an  exercise  of  reason  as  is  the  formation  of 
concepts  by  the  thought  power  in  the  technical  sense. 

How  are  these  fundamental  faiths  or  beliefs,  e.  g.^  in 
the  infinite,  substance,  cause  known?    They  are  at  first 


310  The  Life  Work  of 

latent  underneath  consciousness  in  the  form  of  apti- 
tudes or  tendencies  or  laws,  but  upon  the  conditions  of 
experience  they  appear  in  consciousness  in  the  form 
of  beliefs.  It  must  be  noted  that  though  we  are  con- 
scious of  the  beliefs,  we  are  not  conscious  of  the  things 
believed.  The  beliefs  appear  immediately  in  conscious- 
ness, but  the  objects  about  w^hich  the  beliefs  are  con- 
cerned do  not  immediately  present  themselves  to  con- 
sciousness and  are  therefore  not  immediately  known. 
We  are  conscious  of  a  belief  in  personality,  substance, 
cause,  the  infinite  in  its  three  forms — as  the  infinite 
God,  infinite  space,  infinite  duration,  but  we  are  not 
conscious  of  personality,  substance,  cause,  the  infinite 
in  any  of  its  forms.  The  beliefs  thus  appearing  in  con- 
sciousness are  of  the  nature  of  internal  percepts  and 
by  the  thinking  faculty  can  be  wrought  over  into  con- 
cepts and  thus  be  made  the  objects  of  metaphysical 
analysis  and  logical  elaboration.  But  the  transcendent 
realities  to  which  these  beliefs  relate  are  not  percepts, 
and  they  cannot  be  wrought  over  into  concepts  by  the 
thinking  faculty;  substance,  cause,  the  infinite  are 
neither  percepts  nor  concepts,  but  they  are  funda- 
mental faiths  or  beliefs  reached  by  a  different  faculty 
from  that  which  builds  concepts  out  of  percepts  as 
does  the  thinking  faculty  in  the  technical  sense,  and 
this  faculty  which  some  philosophers  denominate  intu- 
ition. Dr.  Girardeau  describes  as  faith  or  the  believing 
faculty. 

The  question  recurs,  of  what  avail  is  it  from  the 
standpoint  of  science  for  the  thought-power  to  have 
concepts  of  these  beliefs  when  it  cannot  form  concepts 
of  the  transcendent  realities  with  which  these  beliefs 
are  concerned?  The  answer  is,  the  thinking  faculty 
can  certainly  deal  with  the  manifestations  or  phenom- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  311 

ena  of  these  transcendent  realities;  and  it  is  just  these 
phenomena  which  furnish  the  material  of  the  largest 
part  of  all  the  sciences.  Moreover,  the  thinking  fac- 
ulty as  one  rational  power,  can  receive  from  the  believ- 
ing faculty  as  another  rational  power,  the  contribu- 
tions which  faith  or  belief  makes  to  the  science  which 
is  in  process  of  construction,  and  such  contributions 
are  made  by  belief  to  all  the  sciences  physical,  meta- 
physical and  theological.  Theology  is  in  no  sense 
singular  because  elements  which  trenscend  the  think- 
ing or  concept  building  power  enter  into  every  science 
and  such  elements  are  the  contributions  of  funda- 
mental faiths  or  belief  which  are  necessary  and  well- 
nigh  universal.  In  addition,  there  is  a  wonderful 
synergism  of  thought  and  faith,  of  the  thinking  and 
the  believing  faculty,  in  combining  their  processes  and 
results.  Thought  is  concerned  with  both  matter  and 
form,  that  is,  both  with  the  truth  and  the  logical  shape 
of  the  materials  with  which  it  deals,  and  thought  pre- 
sides over  all  logical  processes  so  as  to  secure  not  only 
scientific  form  but  also  scientific  truth  as  the  result. 
Faith  in  the  same  way  presides  as  co-sovereign  in 
securing  truth  in  its  contributions  toward  the  com- 
bined result.  It  deserves  to  be  said,  that  it  is  the  same 
man  who  perceives  and  thinks  and  believes  and  rea- 
sons; and  if  thought  can  receive  the  results  of  the  pre- 
sentative  and  representative  powers  and  employ  them 
in  its  own  peculiar  processes,  why  not  receive  the  con- 
tributions of  these  fundamental  beliefs,  of  which  the 
chief  is  our  belief  in  the  infinite,  and  employ  them  also. 
Further,  of  course,  in  one  sense  it  is  obviously  true 
that  the  infinite  is  indefinable  because  the  infinite  God 
is  the  ultimate  being.  There  is  no  higher  genus  under 
which  He  can  be  subsumed  as  a  species,  and  there  can 


312  The  Life  Work  of 

be  no  lower  species  into  which  his  whole  essence  may 
enter.  But  yet  in  another  sense  He  may  be  defined,  as, 
for  example,  the  genus  being  is  of  two  kinds,  finite  and 
infinite,  and  the  specific  difi'erence  is  that  which  dis- 
tinguishes the  infinite  from  the  finite.  Theologians 
who  deny  in  one  sense  that  the  infinite  God  is  con- 
ceivable or  definable,  yet  in  another  sense,  proceed  to 
give  us  a  definition,  as,  for  example,  the  "Westminster 
divines  who  assign  God  to  the  genus  spirit,  and  then 
proceed  to  give  his  specific  qualities  in  his  attributes — 
"God  is  a  spirit  infinite,  eternal  and  unchangeable  in 
his  being,  wisdom,  power,  holiness,  justice,  goodness 
and  truth." 

In  this  Avay  our  philosophical  theologian  shows  us 
that  theology  can  not  be  justly  impeached  as  a  science 
upon  the  ground  that  it  contains  an  element  which  is 
inconceivable  in  that  the  thinking  faculty  cannot  com- 
pass it,  for  the  same  objection  would  vitiate  all  the 
sciences  inasmuch  as  each  one  in  turn  employs  elements 
marked  by  the  same  character  of  inconceivability  by 
the  logical  understanding,  but  all  these  elements  alike 
belong  to  the  category  of  valid  knowledge  reached  by 
the  human  reason  in  its  highest  mode  of  exercise  in 
the  faculty  which  is  the  seat  of  the  first  principles  or 
fundamental  faiths  or  beliefs.  The  infinite  therefore 
is  as  surely  known  by  the  reason  as  the  finite,  though, 
of  course,  b}'  a  specifically  different  rational  power, 
and  theolog}^  ji^istly  and  scientifically  uses  the  infinite 
in  its  organization   and   construction. 

If  space  permitted  Dr.  Girardeau's  definition  and 
distribution  of  theology,  his  reduction  of  Mysticism 
and  Romanism  to  Rationalism,  his  masterly  argument 
for  plenary  verbal  inspiration  upon  necessary  phil- 
osophic grounds  would  be  presented  for  some  expo- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  313 

sition,  but  the  reader  is  referred  to  his  "Theological 
Discussions"  for  the  complete  and  satisfactory  enun- 
ciation of  his  striking  original  views  upon  these  great 
themes. 

II.  His  Statement  of  the  Arguments  for  the  Divine 
Being  in  the  field  of  Theology  proper  is  worthy  of 
note. 

He  proposes  to  give  a  reflective  construction  of  the 
spontaneous  process  by  which  the  native  tendencies  to 
believe  in  the  infinite  God  are  developed  into  actual 
faith.  The  argument  is  neither  exclusively  a  priori 
nor  exclusively  a  posteriori^  but  a  combination  of  both. 
The  statement  is  sometimes  made  that  the  a  priori 
argument  is  one  from  cause  to  effect,  and  the  a  pos- 
teriori argument  is  one  from  effect  to  cause.  The  first 
part  of  the  statement  is  too  narrow  because  not  simply 
the  law  of  casuality,  but  all  the  fundamental  beliefs 
of  the  mind  are  employed,  and  the  second  part  is  also 
too  narrow  in  that  the  argument  is  based  upon  all  the 
conditions  of  experience.  In  brief,  "The  argument  tor 
the  existence  of  God  is  derived  from  the  fundamental 
laws  of  our  constitution  in  connection  with  the  facts 
of  experiences." 

In  the  actual  construction  of  the  argument,  we  first 
use  the  fundamental  law  of  existence,  by  which  upon 
actual  experience  we  necessarily  affirm  existence  of 
ourselves  and  the  world  around  us.  We  use  next  the 
law  of  casuality,  which  elicited  into  expression  by  con- 
scious experience,  forms  the  faith-judgment  that  every 
perceivable  existence  and  every  phenomenal  change 
must  have  had  a  cause.  This  part  of  the  argument  is 
two-fold:  (1)  First,  beginning  from  the  contingency 
and  changeahleness  of  the  w^orld.  That  the  world  is 
contingent  and  changeable,  we  know  by  consciousness 


314  The  Life  Work  of 

and  observation.  Whatever  is  contingent  and  change- 
able began.  If  the  world  began,  it  must  have  had  a 
cause.  This  cause  must  have  been  either  in  itself  or 
out  of  itself.  If  in  itself,  it  was  spontaneously  pro- 
duced, which  is  neither  conceivable  nor  believable.  If 
the  cause  was  out  of  itself  it  must  have  been  a  neces- 
sary, self-existent  first  cause,  for  if  it  were  contingent 
you  strike  the  regression  to  infinity  of  a  series  of  finite 
contingent  causes,  which  cannot  be  accepted,  as  each 
one  of  the  series  is  contingent  and  what  is  true  of  all 
the  parts  is  true  of  the  whole.  We  are  conducted, 
therefore,  to  a  necessary  first  cause.  (2)  The  argu- 
ment may  proceed  from  the  -flniteness  of  the  world. 
That  is  finite  Avhich  is  limited  and  conditioned.  We 
know  ourselves  to  be  limited  and  conditioned  by  con- 
sciousness. Matter  is  limited  and  conditioned  because 
divisible  into  parts,  each  of  which  limits  and  condi- 
tions the  other.  The  world  of  matter  and  spirits  is 
thus  limited  and  conditioned  and  therefore  finite. 
Whatever  is  finite  began.  If  it  began,  it  had  a  cause. 
This  cause  must  be  in  itself  or  out  of  itself.  If  in 
itself,  it  is  spontaneously  produced  which  makes  the 
world  both  cause  and  effect  at  one  and  the  same.  If 
the  cause  was  out  of  itself,  it  must  have  been  a  neces- 
sary first  cause,  or  you  strike  the  regression  to  infinity 
of  a  contingent  series.  We  arrive,  therefore,  at  a  neces- 
sary first  cause. 

The  argument  next  employs  the  law  of  substance,  in 
accordance  with  which  we  immediately  infer  that 
properties  inhere  in  a  substance,  or  mediately  infer 
upon  the  perception  of  the  manifestation  of  power 
that  this  power  is  to  be  construed  as  an  attribute  and 
referred  to  a  substance  or  essence  in  which  it  inheres 
as  a  quality.    This  fundamental  faith  is  of  use  to  pre- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  315 

vent  our  interpretation  of  the  first  cause  with  Herbert 
Spencer  as  an  "infinite  eternal  energy,"  and  to  lead 
to  the  knowledge  that  the  first  cause  is  also  the  first 
substance  in  which  the  power  manifest  in  causation 
inheres  as  an  attribute.  The  argument  next  uses  the 
law  of  personality.  We  are  indubitably  convinced  that 
we  are  persons  and  we  ask  the  Spencerian  evolutionist 
how  an  impersonal  force,  which  they  affirm  the  first 
cause  to  be,  could  have  evolved  into  personal  beings, 
possessing  marks  which  are  not  implied  in  the  evolving 
force,  or  inquire  of  the  Pantheist  how  impersonal  sub- 
stance, which  is  his  first  cause,  could  have  been  wrought 
over  into  personal  substances,  possessing  this  high 
mark  of  personality  which  his  original  substance  did 
not  wear.  We  can  give  no  other  just  account  of  our 
own  personality  than  to  affirm  personality  of  the  first 
cause.  "The  argument  next  advances  from  the  funda- 
mental law  of  belief  in  the  infinite  to  the  infinity  of 
the  substantive,  personal  first  cause."  This  belief  in 
the  infinite  developed  upon  conditions  of  experience 
is  native  to  the  human  mind  as  shown  by  the  belief 
in  infinite  space  and  infinite  duration  and  the  well- 
nigh  universal  belief  in  the  infinite  God ;  and  sufficient 
reasons  can  be  given  to  show  why  it  is  not  admitted 
as  absolutely  universal.  In  fact,  the  finite  and  infinite 
are  correlative  and  the  knowledge  of  them  is  correla- 
tive. It  is  impossible  to  know  one  without  knowing 
the  other.  The  mode  in  which  they  are  known  are 
different;  the  faculties  by  which  they  are  known  are 
not  the  same.  The  finite  is  known  by  the  presenta- 
tive,  representative  and  thinking  faculties;  the  infinite 
is  known  by  the  believing  faculty.  But  the  one  knowl- 
edge is  just  as  valid  as  is  the  other.  We  have  now 
been  conducted  to  a  necessary,  substantive,  personal. 


316  The  Life  Work  of 

infinite  first  cause.  This  is  the  Cosmological  argument 
in  substance,  which  is  not  complete  by  itself  but  needs 
to  be  complemented  by  the  teleological  or,  as  Kant  calls 
it,  the  physic-theological  argument.  In  fact,  they  are 
not  different  arguments,  but  branches  of  the  one  in- 
divisble,  inseparable  proof  of  the  divine  existence.  As 
God  is  one  the  proof  of  His  existence  is  one. 

The  teleological  argument  is  based  upon  the  funda- 
mental laws  of  unity,  causation  and  sufficient  reason. 
Amidst  the  bewildering  complexity  of  the  world  round 
about  us,  the  human  reason  is  forced  to  seek  and  find 
a  principle  of  unity  by  the  very  necessities  of  its  con- 
stitution. This  fundamental  faith  is  satisfied  by  the 
impression  of  order  which  pervades  all  the  compli- 
cated phenomena  of  nature  and  history  and  signally 
gratified  by  the  marvellous  adaptations  which  reign 
both  in  the  realm  of  the  great  and  the  small  in  the 
natural  world.  From  the  analogy  of  human  experience 
we  are  forced  to  affirm  a  final  cause  for  all  this  wide 
supremacy  of  orderliness  and  law,  and  also  to  postu- 
late an  efficient  cause  as  it  organizing  and  guiding 
intelligence.  Combined  with  this  the  law  of  sufficient 
reason,  whether  contemplated  as  a  law  of  thought  or 
of  objective  reality,  requires  the  affirmation  of  a  cause 
of  adequate  wisdom  and  power  to  account  for  all  the 
beautiful  harmony  and  rational  purpose  which  evi- 
dently pervades  nature  through  and  through,  in  the 
vast  procession  of  the  planets  and  in  no  less  degree 
in  the  realm  of  the  infinitesimal  which  the  microscope 
reveals.  When  united  with  the  Cosmological  argu- 
ment the  teleological  therefore  conducts  us  to  an  infi- 
nite personal  first  cause  and  first  substance  w^ho  is  the 
Creator  and  as  well  the  organizer  and  governor  of 
the  world. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  317 

Dr.  Girardeau  gives  us  a  just  and  profound  criticism 
of  the  so-called  ontological  argument  as  presented  by 
Anslem  and  afterwards  modified  though  not  improved 
by  Leibnitz.  Anselm's  argument  is  that  we  have  the 
concept  of  an  absolutely  perfect  being  which  involves 
as  one  of  its  elements  necessity  of  existence,  and  this 
in  turn  actual  existence.  Kant's  criticism  is  very 
acute,  as  follows,  viz.,  that  to  pass  from  the  concept 
of  an  ideal  perfect  being  to  that  of  an  actual  perfect 
being  requires  either  an  analytical  or  synthetical  judg- 
ment. Now  if  it  be  an  analytical  judgment,  which 
affirms  in  the  predicate  something  already  contained 
in  the  subject,  we  have  made  no  advance,  for  we  may 
deny  objectivity  or  actuality  both  of  the  subject  and 
the  predicate.  If  it  be  synthetical  which  affirms  in  the 
predicate  something  not  already  contained  in  the  sub- 
ject, as  actuality  or  objectivity  of  existence  is  affirmed 
in  the  predicate  of  an  ideal  or  subjective  existence  in 
the  subject,  then  the  judgment  must  not  be  assumed 
but  proved,  which  remains  to  be  done  in  some  other 
way;  and  the  argument  is  worthless.  Dr.  Girardeau's 
criticism  is  equally  weighty  and  philosophic  to  the 
effect,  that  there  can  be  no  concept  of  an  absolutely 
perfect  being,  and  an  argument  built  on  this  hypothesis 
is  therefore  vitiated.  A  concept  is  built  by  the  thought 
power  out  of  material  furnished  by  the  percepts  of 
the  presentative  or  the  re-presentations  of  the  repre- 
sentative power.  Thought,  therefore,  cannot  transcend 
consciousness.  It  is  unphilosophic  to  say  that  we  can 
perceive  or  represent  God,  and  therefore  the  thought 
faculty  can  form  no  concept  of  Him,  and  to  build  an 
argument  on  this  imaginary  foundation  leads,  of 
course,  only  to  imaginary  results.  The  road  by  which 
the  human  reason  passes  from  the  finite  to  the  infinite 


318  The  Life  Work  of 

is  negatively  not  the  path  of  sense-perception,  nor  of 
the  representative  power  in  its  two  forms  of  memory 
or  imagination,  nor  of  the  thinking  faculty  or  the  dis- 
cursive understanding  or  faculty  of  logical  elaboration 
which  builds  or  handles  concepts,  but  it  is  a  royal  high- 
way along  which  the  noblest  rational  power  or  the 
believing  faculty  travels.  The  infinite  is  a  faith- judg- 
ment. It  is  called  by  some  the  product  of  rational 
intuition,  but  intuition  is  too  equivocal  a  term, 
employed  as  it  is  to  denominate  the  presentative  power. 
The  infinite  is  reached  by  the  human  reason  through 
its  highest  power  or  function,  when  all  its  other  and 
lower  powers  developed  by  experience  have  done  their 
work  and  discharged  their  functions,  then  the  reason 
in  its  highest  power  and  faculty,  viz. :  faith,  or  the 
believing  faculty,  affirms,  apprehends  and  knows  the 
infinite.  It  is  a  fundamental  faith  or  belief  native  to 
the  human  reason  which  needs  only  the  concrete  facts 
of  experience  to  develop  it  from  latency  into  actual  and 
inevitable  expression. 

Dr.  Girardeau,  of  course,  uses  with  great  force  the 
moral  argument  for  the  divine  being  and  also  the  argu- 
ment equally  valid  from  man's  religious  nature;  but 
the  largest  contribution  in  this  section  of  theology  has 
been  his  demonstration  of  the  unity  of  the  cosmologi- 
cal  and  teleological  arguments  as  furnishing  the  one 
indivisible  proof  of  God's  existence.  He  has  shown 
how  every  part  of  man's  constitution  and  all  the  facts 
of  experience  combine  their  consentient  testimony  to 
this  great  basal  truth  of  philosophy  and  theology  that 
there  is  an  infinite,  personal,  necessary  first  cause  and 
first  substance  who  is  the  Creator  and  organizer  and 
governor  of  the  world.  And  in  the  nature  of  the  case, 
he  could  have  rendered  no  higher  service  than  to  place 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  319 

this  argument  on  an  absolutely  impregnable  philos- 
oi:)hic  foundation. 

III.  In  the  department  of  Anthropology,  his  doc- 
trine of  the  origin  of  the  first  sin  in  the  free  and  unhin- 
dered self-determination  of  the  first  man  and  his 
account  of  the  derivation  of  the  guilt  of  the  first  sin 
to  the  whole  human  race  shows  his  combined  philoso- 
phic and  theological  gifts  in  the  highest  degree.  No 
theory  which  holds  that  Adam's  spontaneity  effectively 
controlled  his  volitions,  can  meet  the  demands  of  phil- 
osophy for  a  rational  account  of  this  sin  or  can  escape 
the  objections  which  theology  would  bring  that  God 
is  inevitably  made  the  author  of  this  first  sin  on  this 
hypothesis.  If  Adam's  holy  spontaneity  had  deter- 
mined infallibly  his  volitions,  he  would  have  remained 
holy  unto  this  day.  In  the  use  of  the  perilous  power 
of  the  self-determination  of  the  will,  given  to  him  to 
fit  him  for  his  probation,  he  freely  and  unnecessarily 
originated  his  own  sinful  volition  and  act  and  as  a 
result,  his  own  sinful  spontaneity  and  dispositions. 
However  false  the  theory  of  the  self-determination  of 
the  will  may  be  in  its  universal  application  to  men 
now,  no  other  hypothesis  will  meet  the  necessities  of 
the  case  in  the  instance  of  the  first  man  and  the  first 
sin. 

But  we  are  more  especially  concerned  with  the  expla- 
nation of  the  imputation  of  the  guilt  of  the  first  sin 
to  the  whole  race  which  is  presented  by  Dr.  Girardeau. 
There  are  three  theories  which  fall  to  be  considered: 
1st,  Parentalism;  2d,  Realism;  3d,  Federal  Headship. 
Of  these  in  their  order : 

(1)  Parentalism  is  the  explanation  which  Arminian- 
ism  offers  as  best  solving  the  difficulties  of  the  case. 
The  following  are  the  objections  which,  in  substance, 


320  The  Life  Work  of 

Dr.  Girardeau  presents  as  showing  the  untenableness 
of  Parent alism.  First,  the  Arminians  themselves 
admit  that  the  visitation  of  the  bitter  consequences  of 
Adam's  sin  upon  his  descendants  could  not  be  vindi- 
cated unless  these  were  joined  with  the  decree  to  per- 
mit the  first  sin  further  provision  through  redemption 
to  remove  the  consequences  of  that  sin.  Wesley, 
Fletcher,  Watson  admit  that  Parentalism  will  not  by 
itself  bear  the  strain  which  is  put  upon  it,  unaided  by 
the  subsequent  arrangement  made  by  grace  to  remove 
the  penal  and  spiritual  consequences  of  our  first 
parents'  sin.  But  a  thing  intrinsically  unjust  in  itself 
cannot  be  made  just  by  subsequent  action  relating 
thereto.  Moreover,  the  Arminian  cannot  prove  that 
redemption  removes  for  all  Adam's  descendants  all 
the  consequences  of  the  Adamic  sin,  and  hence  so  far 
as  some  of  Adam's  descendants  are  concerned,  the 
intrinsic  injustice  of  Parentalism  remains  unmodified 
by  subsequent  provisions  made  by  grace.  Secondly, 
having  admitted  the  essential  injustice  of  Parentalism 
the  Arminian  inconsistently  proceeds  to  argue  its  jus- 
tice as  shown  in  the  analogous  case  of  the  ordinary 
parental  relation  and  its  consequences  upon  children. 
They  maintain  that  it  is  at  the  same  time  unjust  and 
just — only  one  of  the  many  striking  instances  of  the 
necessary  inconsistencies  of  Arminianism.  But  the 
ordinary  parental  relation  really  furnishes  no  sufficient 
analogue.  For  Arminians  admit  that  the  sufferings 
of  the  race  are  in  some  sense  punishments.  Death, 
temporal,  spiritual,  liability  to  death  eternal,  are  not 
simply  misfortunes  or  calamities.  The  Pelagianizing 
deliverance  of  some  modern  Arminians  that  human 
sufferings  and  corruption  are  in  no  sense  penal  is  not 
truly     representative     of     Evangelical     Arminianism. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  321 

Now,  if  they  are  punishments,  guilt  must  be  somehow 
present,  for  in  God's  moral  government  there  cannot 
be  punishment  without  guilt.  If  the  children  are  pun- 
ished for  their  j^arents'  sin,  they  are  in  some  sense 
guilty  of  these  sins.  But  it  is  contrary  to  express 
Scripture  teachings  to  hold  the  children  guilty  on 
account  of  their  parents'  sin,  though  they  do  suifer 
on  account  of  the  evil  deeds  of  their  parents.  If  chil- 
dren cannot  be  dealt  with  retributively  on  account  of 
their  parents'  sin,  then  Adam's  descendants  cannot  be 
dealt  with  retributively  on  account  of  his  sin.  And 
the  Arminian  attempt  to  show  an  analogue  between 
the  ordinary  parental  relation  and  Adam's  relation  to 
his  posterity  is  evinced  to  be  vain.  Adam  must  have 
been  something  more  than  a  parent,  or  his  posterity 
could  not  be  adjudged  to  be  guilty  on  the  account  of 
his  first  sin  and  punished  therefor. 

Thirdly,  the  theory  of  Parentalism  involves  that 
guilt  and  corruption  by  propagation  pass  from  Adam 
to  his  posterity,  or  the  doctrine  that  like  begets  like. 
This  theory  is  incapable  of  proof  in  the  moral  realm, 
and  its  justice  cannot  be  established.  It  is  also  impos- 
sible to  show  why  on  this  doctrine  only  the  conse- 
quences of  the  first  sin  are  visited  upon  the  race.  No 
rational  account  of  this  limitation  can  be  offered.  It 
is  as  illegitimate  on  this  theory  to  fail  to  impute  the 
consequences  of  other  sins  to  the  posterity  as  to  fail  to 
impute  the  consequences  of  other  sins  to  Adam  him- 
self. Further  on  this  theory  of  propagation,  Adam 
when  regenerated,  would  have  begotten  regenerated 
children,  and  regenerated  parents  today  ought  infalli- 
bly to  have  today  regenerated  children.  Fourthly, 
Parentalism  cannot  be  adjusted  to  the  analogy  so 
clearly  taught  in  the  Scripture  as  existing  between  the 


322  The  Life  Work  of 

first  Adam  and  the  second  Adam.  On  this  hypothesis 
there  is  no  analogy  and  Paul's  parallel  in  Romans 
and  Corinthians  instead  of  bravely  walking  on  two 
stout  legs,  hops  lamely  along  in  a  hap-hazard  and 
inconsequential  manner.  Fifthly,  Parentalism  as 
expounded  by  Arminians  makes  justification  either  for 
Adam  or  his  descendants  impossible.  Evangelical 
Arminian  theology  makes  no  mention  of  the  limitation 
of  the  time  as  to  probation  even  in  the  case  of  Adam 
himself,  and  emphatically  denies  that  his  descendants 
had  in  him  a  strict  legal  probation.  If  Adam  were 
$till  obedient  he  could  not  claim  justification  on  the 
Arminian  theory,  for  there  has  been  no  limitation  of 
time  at  the  expiration  of  w^hich  justification  could  be 
given  as  a  boon;  and  if  he  were  still  obedient,  his 
descendants  could  not  claim  justification,  for  the}^  have 
not  been  offered  a  legal  probation  in  him,  by  standing 
which  the  reward  of  justification  would  be  given.  If 
one  wishes  to  see  the  Arminian  theory  of  Parentalism 
ground  to  powder  between  the  upper  and  nether  mill- 
stone of  philosophy  and  theology,  let  him  read  in  Dr. 
Girardeau's  book  on  "Calvinism  and  Evangelical 
Arminianism",  Part  I.,  Section  III.,  Subsection  I., 
"Objections  from  Divine  Justice" — and  he  will  find 
one  of  the  finest  pieces  of  polemic  theology  which 
modern  literature  affords. 

(2)  Realism  is  next  to  be  considered,  which  is  lia- 
ble to  the  following  objections:  first,  it  is  but  an 
extreme  form  of  Parentalism  and  the  arguments  which 
expose  the  falsity  of  the  one,  expose  the  falsity  of  the 
other.  Secondly,  the  theory  is  not  only  inconceivable, 
but  incredible  and  contradictory  to  the  teachings  of 
reason.  That  the  spiritual  substance  of  the  whole  race 
was  created  as  one  essence  in  our  first  parent,  and  then 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  323 


by  propagation  divided  and  subdivided  over  and  over 
again  to  secure  a  separate  substance  or  essence  for  each 
individual  of  the  race  involves  a  partition  or  material 
division  of  spiritual  being  which  is  counter  to  its  very 
nature.  It  is  as  offensive  to  human  reason  as  the 
Romish  doctrine  that  the  bread  and  wine  are  changed 
into  the  body  and  blood  of  our  Lord,  although  our 
senses  still  perceive  the  bread  and  wine.  To  tell  us 
that  the  immaterial  spiritual  essence  can  be  divided 
into  myraids  of  millions  of  particles,  as  it  were,  is  not 
simply  to  offer  the  reason  a  mystery  but  an  essential 
contradiction  of  the  very  nature  of  indivisible  spirit- 
ual substance. 

Thirdly,  on  this  theory  the  limitation  of  the  imputa- 
tion of  guilt  to  the  first  sin  would  be  impossible,  for 
Adam's  other  sins  were  just  as  truly  committed  by  all 
those  who  were  psychically  and  substantially  one  with 
him.  The  guilt  of  all  subsequent  parents  in  all  their 
sins  would  accumulate  upon  their  descendants  who 
were  just  as  truly  numerically  identical  with  them  as 
they  were  with  the  first  parent.  Fourthly,  this  theory 
would  make  the  human  nature  of  our  Lord  actually 
sinful,  for  if  his  human  soul  was  a  part  of  the  one  sub- 
stance or  essence  which  sinned  in  Adam,  both  the  con- 
sequent guilt  and  corruption  which  followed  must  have 
attached  itself  to  him  as  truly  as  to  any  other  descend- 
ants who  were  no  more  involved  in  this  sin  than  was 
he.  There  is  no  possible  escape  from  the  fact  that 
Eealism  necessitates  the  conclusion  that  the  human 
nature  of  our  Lord  was  both  guilty  and  corrupt  prior 
to  its  assumption  into  personal  union  with  his  divine 
nature,  and  the  question  is  an  insoluble  one  how  that 
guilt  and  corruption  could  have  been  removed  so  as 
to  make  his  human  nature  sinless  after  the  incarna- 


324  The  Life  Work  of 

tion.  Fifthly,  the  analog;^^  between  Adam  and  Christ 
is  destroyed  as  effectually  as  on  the  theory  of  Parent- 
alism.  Numerically  one  with  Adam  the  attempt  has 
been  made  to  show  that  we  are  numerically  one  with 
our  Lord,  which  involves,  of  course,  the  hypothesis 
that  the  human  nature  which  our  Lord  assumed 
was  the  whole  human  race,  and  the  hypothesis 
destroys  itself  by  its  necessary  and  suicidal  inconsis- 
tencies. If,  however,  the  realist  hold  that  we  are 
numerically  one  with  Adam  and  representatively  one 
with  Christ,  he  makes  Paul  so  lame  and  inconsequent- 
ial a  talker  that  the  whole  Christian  world  must  be 
convicted  of  a  colossal  blunder  in  believing  for  two 
thousand  years  that  the  great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles 
was  a  mighty  thinker  and  master  theologian. 

(3)  Federalism  or  the  explanation  of  consistent 
Calvinism  now  remains.  First,  it  is  universally 
admitted  that  God  entered  into  a  covenant  with  Adam 
which  included  his  posterity  so  that  they  are  involved 
in  his  first  sin,  and  if  Parentalism  in  its  ordinary  form, 
or  in  the  form  of  Eealism  cannot  consistently  with  jus- 
tice account  for  the  judicial  condemnation  and  suffer- 
ings of  the  race,  the  only  conceivable  hypothesis  is  that 
of  strict  legal  representation.  Secondly,  the  analogy 
between  Christ  and  Adam  shows  our  first  parent  must 
have  been  the  legal  representative  of  his  seed.  This  is 
the  biblical  and  theological  key  to  the  department  of 
anthropology  and  Dr.  Girardeau  gives  it  great 
emphasis.  Thirdly,  the  appeal  to  the  general  judg- 
ment of  men  favors  the  representative  instead  of  the 
parental  relation  as  existing  between  Adam  and  his 
posterity.  We  do  not  judge  a  child  to  be  guilty  of  a 
parent's  acts,  but  if  one  legally  represents  another,  we 
hold  the  man   responsible   and  blameworthy   for  his 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  325 

representative's  acts.  This  may  seem  to  disparage  the 
parental  relation,  but  it  still  makes  the  parent  to 
propagate  the  race  with  its  essential  and  inseparable 
qualities,  and  as  the  parental  head  of  the  race  no  one 
so  fitted  as  Adam  to  be  the  federal  head  and  represen- 
tative of  his  posterity.  All  the  emphasis  wisely  possi 
ble  may  be  placed  on  the  closeness  of  the  parental  rela- 
tion as  furnishing  the  ground  on  which  the  federal 
relation  was  built. 

Fourthly,  the  key-question  here  relates  to  the  justice 
of  the  federal  constitution.  If  God  established  this 
relation,  then  it  must  be  just  on  the  principle 
announced  in  the  interrogatory.  "Shall  not  the  judge 
of  all  the  earth  do  right?"  Further,  it  is  easy  to  evince 
the  benevolence  of  this  constitution,  in  that  it  limits 
the  time  of  probation  to  a  definite  and  terminable 
period,  limits  the  persons  on  probation  to  one  amply 
competent  for  his  stupendous  task,  and  jDerhaps  limits 
also  the  area  of  temptation  in  the  case  of  the  repre- 
sentative to  one  precise  command.  But  the  represen- 
tative principle  could  not  be  thus  benevolent  unless  it 
were  also  just.  In  addition,  if  it  be  said  that  repre- 
sentation is  incompatible  with  justice  because  it  allows 
the  represented  parties  no  voice  in  deciding  that  the 
representative  principle  shall  be  employed  in  their 
case,  the  answer  is  obvious  that  on  such  a  ground  as 
this  the  subjects  of  the  divine  government  share  with 
God  in  the  administration  of  His  government.  They 
must  elect  Him,  approve  His  policies,  endorse  His 
administration,  or  else  His  government  is  impeached 
of  injustice.  But  God  is  an  absolute  sovereign,  and 
furnishes  the  best  of  all  governments  as  controlled  by 
infinite  love  and  justice,  employing  infinite  wisdom 
and  power.     Moreover,  it  is  impossible  to  prove  that 


326  The  Life  Work  of 

the  federal  constitution  is  intrinsically  unjust.  If  it 
be  asserted  to  be  contrary  to  a  fundamental  intuition 
of  justice,  let  the  exact  nature  of  the  intuition  or  faith 
be  shown,  and  the  respects  in  which  it  is  offended 
clearly  proven.  It  is  certainly  supposable  that  God 
saw  it  equally  fair  to  collect  all  mankind  into  unity 
upon  a  federal  head  who  had  a  glorious  and  easy 
opportunity  to  acquire  confirmed  holiness  and  life  for 
all  as  to  allow  each  man  to  stand  upon  his  own  foot 
with  the  hazard  of  all  falling  and  then  with  the  repre- 
sentative principle  excluded  no  redemption  possible 
for  any.  If  it  be  further  objected  that  federal  repre- 
sentation is  unjust  in  that  it  gives  the  constituents  no 
suffrage  in  choosing  their  federal  head,  then  the  same 
reply  obtains  that  on  this  ground  the  subjects  become 
co-administrators  and  co-sovereigns  in  the  divine  gov- 
ernment. Moreover.  God  is  better  qualified  to  choose 
a  competent  and  qualified  Federal  Head  than  would 
the  whole  race  be,  if  they  could  be  summoned  in  a 
vast  mass-meeting  for  this  purpose.  Besides,  the  Fed- 
eral Head  chosen  was  the  one  best  fitted  for  this  great 
position,  appointed  when  in  the  maturity  of  his  splen- 
did powers,  amply  able  to  stand  and  win  the  glorious 
prize  of  justification  for  himself  and  his  posterity,  the 
parental  head  as  no  one  else  could  be  of  the  race,  and 
feeling  as  no  one  else  could  the  pressure  of  the  awful 
responsibilities  which  rested  upon  him.  As  a  conclu- 
sive and  crushing  reply  to  the  charge  that  representa- 
tion involving  the  imputation  of  another's  guilt  is 
intrinsically  unjust,  the  answer  must  be  made  that 
one  clear  case  of  the  employment  of  this  principle 
is  a  sufficient  reply.  Now  Christ  furnishes  us  that  clear 
case.  He  suffered  even  unto  death  and  only  three  sup- 
positions are  possible.     First,  that  he  suffered  without 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  327 

the  imputation  of  any  guilt,  which  would  impeach 
the  divine  government;  second,  that  he  suffered 
because  of  the  imputation  of  his  own  guilt,  which 
amounts  to  blasphemy;  or  third,  he  suffered  because 
of  the  imputation  of  another's  guilt,  which  is  the  prin- 
ciple in  hand.  There  are  several  important  distinc- 
tions which  must  be  recognized  in  construing  this  doc- 
trine: For  example,  the  distinction  between  the  impu- 
tation of  one's  own  conscious  and  subjective  guilt  and 
the  imputation  of  another's  conscious  and  subjective 
guilt.  The  failure  to  appreciate  the  force  of  this  dis- 
tinction accounts  for  much  irrelevant  argumentation 
against  the  representative  principle  and  the  doctrine 
of  substitution.  There  is  a  further  distinction  between 
the  consent  of  one  to  be  a  representative  of  his  con- 
stituents and  the  consent  of  constituents  to  be  repre- 
sented by  the  Federal  Head.  The  two  cases  are  not 
analogous,  and  because  the  first  and  second  Adams 
consented  to  act  as  representatives  cannot  be  argued 
as  involving  that  their  constituents  must  consent  to  be 
thus  represented.  The  distinction  between  the  deriva- 
tion of  responsibility  upwards  from  constituents  to 
their  Federal  Head  and  downwards  from  the  Federal 
Head  to  his  constituents  must  not  be  overlooked  as 
throwing  the  two  cases  entirely  out  of  analogy.  Nor 
must  we  forget  the  difference  between  the  eternal  Son 
of  God  and  the  finite  subjects  of  the  divine  govern- 
ment, because  he  was  under  no  obligation  to  law,  he 
voluntarily  consented  to  be  the  sponsor  and  represen- 
tative of  his  people,  but  that  furnishes  no  ground 
upon  which  to  argue  that  his  people  must  consent  that 
he  shall  be  their  representative. 

Fifthly,     if    the     principle     of    representation     be 
excluded  on  the  alleged  ground  of  injustice,  then  in 


328  The  Life  Work  of 

no  case  can  it  be  admitted;  and  the  salvation  of  a  race 
of  lost  sinners  becomes  an  impossibility.  It  is  evident 
that  no  transgressor  of  the  divine  law  can  deliver  him- 
self from  its  penalty,  and  it  is  equally  evident  that  no 
one  disabled  even  unto  death  by  the  con-upting  influ- 
ences of  sin  can  recover  himself  from  their  deadly 
power.  But  representation  involving  substitution  is 
inadmissible,  and  the  sinner  must  lie  down  forever 
with  his  doom.  It  may  be  said  that  representation 
issuing  in  the  imputation  of  guilt  is  different  from 
representation  issuing  in  the  imputation  of  righteous- 
ness. But  the  objector  forgets  that  the  first  Adam 
was  perfectly  holy,  easily  able  to  stand  and  win  the 
promised  confirmation  in  holiness  for  himself  and  his 
posterity ;  and  had  this  been  the  result  no  voice  would 
have  been  raised  in  protest,  but  how  does  difference  in 
result  alter  the  nature  of  the  principle  involved?  It 
might  be  said  that  had  the  representative  principle 
been  ruled  out  and  each  individual  stood  upon  his  own 
foot,  more  would  have  secured  the  reward  of  justi- 
fication than  are  saved  through  Christ.  But  the  pre- 
cedent of  the  fallen  angels  is  against  this  hypothesis. 
Adam's  case  discounts  it.  If  with  all  his  maturity  and 
holiness  and  tremendous  responsibilities  he  fell,  the 
chance  of  each  individual  as  in  turn  he  was  born  into 
the  world  would  seem  to  have  been  less  hopeful  of 
standing  until  confirmed  in  holiness,  especially  when 
the  evil  example  and  influence  of  the  first  parent  is 
remembered.  And  when  any  and  perhaps  all  fell,  their 
case  would  be  forever  hopeless,  for  representation 
involving  substitution  and  imputation  are  the  corner- 
stones of  the  structure  of  redemption,  and  all  the  wide 
wonders  and  transcendent  glories  of  the  religion  of 
grace,  of  the  theology  of  the  Gospel,  are  extinguished 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  329 

in  midnight  darkness,  if  this  great  central  principle 
both  of  the  theology  of  natural  religion  and  of  the 
Gospel  of  God's  grace,  viz.,  Federal  representation,  is 
neglected  and  denied. 

IV.  In  Christology,  Dr.  Girardeau's  construction  of 
the  doctrine  of  the  person  of  Christ  is  one  of  his  most 
striking  and  original  contributions  to  theological 
science. 

Christ's  personality  is  divine  both  prior  to  and  sub- 
sequent to  the  incarnation.  There  is  no  divine  human 
person  as  the  result  of  his  assumption  of  human  nature 
into  union  Avith  the  divine  nature.  There  is  the  one 
unchangeable  divine  person;  and  just  as  the  divine 
nature  undergoes  no  change  so  the  divine  personality 
neither  suffers  change.  There  is  no  human  person- 
ality attached  to  the  human  nature  which  enters  into 
this  union.  There  is  the  creation  of  a  new  nature, 
viz.:  the  human  nature  of  Christ;  there  is  the  con- 
stitution of  a  new  relation,  viz. :  that  between  the  per- 
son of  Christ  and  his  human  nature ;  there  is  the  insti- 
tution of  a  new  medium  of  manifestation,  viz. :  the 
human  nature  which  affords  a  human  ground  for  the 
expression  of  Christ's  divine  personality.  There  are 
three  constituents  in  this  union,  the  human  nature,  the 
divine  nature  and  the  divine  person,  which  is  the 
bond  of  union  between  the  other  two.  The  human 
nature  in  Christ  is  without  human  personality  and 
expresses  itself  through  the  divine  personality  with 
which  it  is  united  through  the  incarnation.  Of  course, 
the  divine  nature  and  the  divine  person  are  eternally 
and  inseparably  united.  As  a  consequence  of  this 
hypostatic  or  personal  union  of  the  two  natures,  there 
results  two  distinct  but  related  consciousnesses  and 
two  distinct  but  related  wills,  and  there  is  also  a  com- 


330  The  Life  Work  of 

munion  of  the  attributes  of  the  two  natures  in  the  per- 
son of  Christ,  but  no  communication  of  the  attributes 
of  the  one  nature  to  the  other.  The  orthodox  doctrine 
requires  the  assumption  that  human  nature  may  be 
entire  without  human  personality.  Some  personality 
is  required  in  order  to  its  completeness,  but  not  in 
every  case  human  personality.  Christ's  human  nature 
is  not  absolutely  impersonal,  but  it  has  subsistence  in 
his  divine  person. 

The  key  question,  therefore,  in  Christology  is,  What 
is  personality?  The  answer  is  that  our  conviction  of 
personality  is  native.  It  springs  from  a  fundamental 
faith  or  law  of  belief  elicited  into  expression  upon  the 
conditions  of  experience.  As  an  original  principle  it 
is  incapable  of  resolution  or  definition,  but  it  may  be 
described  both  negatively  and  positively.  Negatively, 
it  must  exclude  all  the  elements  common  to  man  and 
the  lower  animals,  the  bodily  appetites  and  sensations, 
whatever  intelligence,  feeling  and  will  the  animals 
have  in  common  with  man,  and  consciousness  also,  for 
the  brutes  are  undoubtedly  conscious.  It  must  exclude 
all  the  attributes  which  Christ  has  in  common  with 
men,  for  the  Scriptures  teach  us  that  he  possesses  the 
entire  human  essence  without  personality.  Individ- 
uality, intelligence,  feelings,  will,  moral  qualities,  with 
the  consciousness  of  their  operation  belong  to  the 
essence  of  human  nature  and  are,  therefore,  excluded. 
They  may  furnish  the  basis  which  personality  i-equires 
for  its  existence  and  its  action,  but  they  are  not  the 
elements  which  constitute  personality.  Personality 
must  exclude  also  any  element  which  does  not  belong 
to  man  in  every  stage  of  his  history.  The  freedom 
of  the  will  in  the  sense  of  the  self-determination  of  the 
will,  therefore,  must  also  be  ruled  out.     For  while  at 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  331 

creation  to  fit  him  for  probation,  man  was  possessed  of 
this  perilous  power  and  in  its  exercise  originated  the 
sinful  spontaneity  or  disposition  which  now  enslaves 
him,  he  has  not  now  the  power  to  the  contrary  to 
originate  a  new  and  holy  spontaneity  or  disposition. 
He  may  appropriate  his  already  determined  evil  spon- 
taneity in  the  way  of  elective  concurrence,  but  the 
power  of  self-determination  in  the  sense  of  choosing 
holy  inclinations  of  soul  has  been  lost,  and,  there- 
fore, self-determination  cannot  be  made  as  claimed  by 
many  philosophers  and  theologians,  an  essential  ele- 
ment in  the  description  of  personality.  It  must  exclude 
any  element  which  cannot  be  affirmed  of  the  person 
of  the  Son  of  God,  or  more  widely  of  any  of  the  per- 
sons of  the  trinity.  Personality  in  the  Godhead  is  the 
archetype  of  which  personality  in  human  nature  is 
the  ectype,  for  while  there  is  no  analogue  between 
God  as  infinite  and  man  as  finite,  between  the  incom- 
municable or  modal  attributes  of  God  and  man's 
natural  endowments,  yet  there  is  in  other  respects  a 
fundamental  likeness  between  God  and  man  and  the 
communicable  or  determinative  divine  attributes  are 
shadowed  in  the  reason  and  moral  nature  of  man. 
Moral  responsibility,  therefore,  in  the  strict  sense  can- 
not belong  to  personality,  because  it  does  not  attach 
to  the  divine  persons.  It  belongs  to  the  essence  of 
human  nature  and  not  to  human  personality  as  such. 
Personality  is  accompanied  by  responsibility  in  man. 
but  not  in  God,  somewhat  as  self-determination  belongs 
to  man  in  one  of  his  estates,  but  not  in  another. 

Positively  personality  may  be  described  as  suppos- 
ing an  individual  being,  what  in  theology  is  called  a 
substance,  marked  by  intelligence,  feelings,  will,  moral 
qualities   and    the   consciousness   of   their    operations. 


332  The  Life  Work  of 

These  are  not  the  constituents,  but  they  are  the  condi- 
tions of  the  energy  of  personality.  They  are  spontane- 
ous in  their  activities  and  in  this  respect  we  have  one 
of  the  fundamental  diiferences  between  the  activities 
of  the  essence  and  the  activities  of  the  person.  Next, 
specifically  personality  involves  the  conviction  which 
an  individual  being  has  of  its  identity.  A  lower  ani- 
mal cannot  have  this  conviction  of  self-identity  and 
hence  we  do  not  hold  them  responsible  for  actions 
committed  long  previously.  But  a  man  at  sixty  is 
conscious  that  he  is  the  identical  individual  being  that 
he  was  at  twenty  and  hence  at  sixty  he  is  held  res2:)on- 
sible  for  the  sins  committed  at  twenty.  Sameness  of 
individual  being  belongs  to  man  and  the  lower  animals, 
but  they  do  not  know  it  and  he  does,  hence  this  knowl- 
edge belongs  to  him  not  as  an  individual  being  sim- 
ply, but  as  a  person.  Another  peculiar  element  in 
personality  is  the  power  of  reflective  activity  by  which 
the  spontaneous  activities  of  the  essence  are  deliber- 
ately appropriated  as  the  basis  of  deliberate  action. 
All  the  constituents  of  the  essence  are  spontaneously 
active,  but  reflection  belongs  to  the  person  and  not  to 
the  essence.  It  is  this  power  of  reflective  activity  in 
addition  to  the  conviction  of  personal  identity  which 
makes  the  personality  of  man  an  image  of  the  person- 
ality of  God.  To  quote  Dr.  Girardeau's  own  statement 
exactly,  "Personality  is  the  knowledge  of  its  identity 
possessed  by  an  individual  being  and  its  reflective 
activity  upon  the  spontaneous  conditions  of  intelli- 
gence, feelings,  will  and  moral  qualities  furnished  by 
its  essence." 

No  philosophic  theologian  has  advanced  further  into 
the  heart  of  this  standing  problem  of  philosophy  and 
theology  than  has  the  great  Columbia  professor  in  his 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  333 

discussions  upon  this  theme  in  explication  of  this  doc- 
trine and  the  use  which  he  makes  of  his  view  of  per- 
sonality is  evident  without  further  comment  or  exposi- 
tion. 

V.  In  Soteriology,  the  doctrine  of  adoption  receives 
from  Dr.  Girardeau  a  fuller  and  richer  development 
than  at  the  hands  of  any  preceding  theologian. 

At  creation,  Adam  was  both  God's  servant  and  God's 
son.  A  careful  exegesis  of  Scripture  gives  this  result. 
This  sonship  was  threefold,  first,  natural,  in  that 
Adam  was  a  spiritual  being,  possessed  of  reason,  con- 
science, emotions  and  will.  Secondly,  it  was  spiritual, 
in  that  at  creation  man  was  perfectly  righteous  and 
holy  with  spiritual  life  permeating  every  faculty  of 
his  being.  Thirdly,  it  was  legal,  in  that  he  had  certain 
rights  as  a  member  of  God's  family,  contingently  it 
was  true  and  liable  to  be  lost  by  sin,  but  these  rights 
were  his  as  long  as  obedience  continued.  Now,  Adam's 
sin  lost  him  both  his  spiritual  and  legal  sonship,  bat 
his  natural  sonship  remained.  He  could  not  be  other 
than  God's  son  in  this  sense,  and  this  sonship  will 
endure  unchanged  forever  whatever  the  effect  sin  may 
have  on  man's  other  relationships  to  God. 

It  is  argued  that  Adam  could  not  have  been  both  a 
servant  and  a  son  at  one  and  the  same  time,  because 
a  servant  is  the  subject  of  God's  retributive  moral 
government  and  a  son  is  under  disciplinary  or  fatherly 
rule  and  these  two  as  incompatible  cannot  co-exist. 
The  answer  is  that  upon  the  testimony  of  Scripture, 
our  Lord  was  both  a  servant  and  a  son,  and,  therefore, 
it  is  historically  proven  that  the  two  are  not  neces- 
sarily contradictory.  In  addition,  believers  are  both 
servants  and  sons.  Further,  one  may  be  at  one  same 
time  under  retributive   and   disciplinary  government. 


334  The  Life  Work  of 

Such  again  was  the  case  with  our  Lord.  He  redeemed 
us  from  the  curse  of  the  Law  by  being  made  a  curse  for 
us  and  through  sufferings  he  was  made  perfect  as  the 
captain  of  our  salvation:  bearing  the  retributions  of 
the  law  and  at  the  same  experiencing  not  the  correc- 
tive, but  perfective  processes  of  fatherly  discipline. 
These  considerations  prove  that  there  is  nothing 
inherently  contradictory  in  the  position  that  Adam 
was  both  servant  and  son  under  retributive  disciplin- 
ary government.  His  case  as  innocent  was  different 
from  that  of  the  sinner  considered  as  unredeemed  and 
unregenerate  or  considered  as  redeemed  and  regener- 
ate. As  unredeemed  the  sinner  is  no  sense  under 
fatherly  discipline,  but  solely  under  retributive  moral 
government.  As  redeemed  the  saved  sinner  is  in  no 
sense  under  retributive  moral  government,  for  all  its 
penalties  have  been  exhausted  for  him  by  his  sub- 
stitute, but  he  is  solely  under  disciplinary  fatherly 
rule  both  as  corrective  and  perfective.  Adam  both  as 
servant  and  son  was  under  retributive  moral  govern- 
ment, for  had  he  obeyed  as  a  servant  he  would  have 
secured  the  reward  of  justification,  and  had  he  obeyed 
as  a  son  he  would  have  secured  on  the  same  principle 
of  distributive  justice  the  reward  of  confirmation  in 
the  Father's  family.  And  as  a  son  he  was  also  under 
fatherly  rule  with  a  view  to  perfective  growth  through 
filial  obedience.  There  is  nothing  contradictory  in 
his  sustaining  this  dual  relation  to  moral  government 
in  its  two  species  of  retributive  and  disciplinary  gov- 
ernment. Moreover,  that  Adam  was  a  son  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  re-creation  or  regeneration  restores  the 
lost  spiritual  sonship.  Those  who  are  born  not  of 
blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of 
man,  but  of  God  are  given  the  right  to  legally  become 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  335 

the  sons  of  God,  because  they  are  already  by  the 
rebirth  made  the  spiritual  children  of  God.  If  it  be 
objected  that  on  this  view  our  Lord  as  a  substitute  for 
his  people  must  obey  both  as  a  servant  and  as  a  son  in 
their  behalf,  the  reply  is  that  exactly  this  is  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Scripture  and  sound  theology  must  adjust 
its  system  to  embrace  this  truth.  As  a  servant  his 
obedience  imputed  on  the  condition  of  faith  secured 
the  justification  of  the  believer;  as  a  son  his  obedience 
imputed  on  the  condition  of  faith  secures  the  adoption 
of  the  believer. 

As  to  its  nature  adoption  is  not  to  be  confounded 
with  regeneration,  for  while  regeneration  conditions 
faith,  adoption  is  conditional  upon  faith.  Regenera- 
tion is  a  creative  act  by  which  we  are  really  and  spirit- 
ually made  the  children  of  God,  adoption  is  a  legal  act 
by  which  we  are  authorized  to  take  our  places  in  God's 
family,  by  which  we  are  formally  transferred  from 
the  devil's  family  into  God's  f arniily.  Regeneration 
adapts  us  to  our  place  in  God's  family,  adoption  author- 
itatively and  legally  introduces  us  into  it.  Regenera- 
tion -makes  -us  -God's  -children,  -adoption  recognizes 
and  treats  us  as  God's  children.  Adoption  is  also  to  be 
distinguished  from  justification  in  that  they  termi- 
nate on  different  relations;  justification  is  directed 
towards  the  subject  or  servant,  adoption  is  directed 
toward  the  child.  Justification  secures  confirmation  in 
God's  rectoral  regard,  adoption  secures  confirmation  in 
his  fatherly  regard.  Justification  introduces  the  regen- 
erated sinner  into  the  society  of  the  righteous  con- 
sidered as  a  polity,  adoption  introduces  the  regenerated 
sinner  into  God's  family.  Justification  secures  for  a 
servant  the  rewards  of  moral  government,  adoption 
convevs  a  title  to  the  inheritance  of  an  heir. 


336  The  Life  Work  of 

The  exact  locus  of  adoption  in  the  theological  sys- 
tem is  shown  in  the  following  statement ;  the  water 
symbolizing  the  subjective  in  character  and  nature 
includes  under  it  regeneration  and  sanctification,  the 
blood  symbolizing  the  objective  change  in  relations  or 
status  includes  under  it  justification  or  adoption.  In 
Dr.  Girardeau's  own  words,  "Adoption  is  an  act  of 
God's  free  grace,  whereby  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  he 
formally  translates  the  regenerate  from  the  family  of 
Satan  into  his  own  and  legally  confirms  them  in  all 
the  rights,  immunities  and  privileges  of  his  children.'^ 
As  to  its  grounds  adoption  rests  on  the  eternal  pur- 
pose of  God  the  Father,  union  with  the  Son  of  God 
naturally,  union  with  the  Son  of  God  spiritually,  and 
union  with  the  Son  of  God  federally  as  the  representa- 
tive and  Federal  Head  of  his  people.  On  this  ground 
God  the  Father  imputes  the  righteousness  of  Christ 
to  his  people,  which  means  that  he  imputes  Christ's 
filial  obedience  to  his  people.  And  this  is  the  imme- 
diate ground  of  their  adoption  as  distinguished  from 
their  justification  whose  immediate  ground  is  the 
obedience  of  Christ  as  a  subject  and  servant.  The 
Rights,  the  Duties,  and  the  Evidences  of  Adoption 
are  all  presented  by  Dr.  Girardeau  with  a  clearness 
and  cogency  which  will  amply  repay  careful  study,  and 
the  minister  who  desires  to  be  himself  fed  with  the 
"finest  of  the  wheat"  in  order  that  in  turn  he  may  be 
prepared  to  "feed  the  flock  of  God"  can  do  no  better 
than  to  linger  long  and  lovingly  over  the  treatment 
of  adoption  in  the  volume  of  "Theological  Discus- 
sions." 

Such  are  some  of  the  key-positions  in  Dr.  Girar- 
deau's theological  system  and  they  are  offered  simply 
as  specimens  or  illustrations,  and  perhaps  many  others 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  337 

would  have  been  equally  pertinent  and  illustrative. 
He  touched  no  theological  topic  which  he  did  not  both 
adorn  and  discuss  with  signal  power.  And  while  the 
writer  is  alone  responsible  for  the  exposition,  yet  so 
deeply  scored,  in  his  memory  are  many  of  the  formulae 
in  which  his  theological  teacher  stated  his  views  that 
in  some  cases  those  formulae  would  come  unsolicited 
in  the  very  form  in  which  they  were  received.  But 
the  memory  of  his  students  will  cease  sooner  or  later 
in  this  world  to  report  the  record  of  his  teachings  and 
upon  his  books  must  finally  and  permanently  depend 
his  fame  and  influence.  And  the  conviction  is  a  cer- 
tain one  that  the  world  of  scholarship  and  the  kingdom 
of  God  will  "not  willingly  let  die"  the  contributions 
which  he  has  made  to  philosophy  and  theology  in  his 
"Philosophical  Discussions,"  his  "Theological  Discus- 
sions, Calvinism  and  Evangelical  Arminianism"  and 
"The  Will  in  its  Theological  Relations."  One  is  some- 
times tempted  to  regret  that  like  his  great  contempo- 
rary. Dr.  Dabney,  he  had  not  completed  in  articulate 
shape  his  system  and  given  it  in  symmetrical  and  fin- 
ished form  to  the  Church.  Had  he  done  so  his  imme- 
diate influence  and  renown  would  have  been  the 
greater,  but  his  permanent  work  and  fame  will  be  the 
larger,  because  he  chose  instead  of  publishing  a  com- 
pleted system  to  publish  these  profound  discussions  to 
which  he  devoted  his  ripe  powers  and  in  which  in  some 
cases,  certainly  in  the  specifications  given  in  this  arti- 
cle, he  has  penetrated  farther  into  the  heart  of  some  of 
the  great  mysteries  and  doctrines  of  our  faith  than 
any  of  his  predecessors  had  done.  These  discussions 
which  would  scarcely  have  fitted  into  a  text-book 
designed  for  class-room  use,  will  be  the  study  of  choice 
and  able  spirits,  and  he  is  destined  to  be  a  theologian 


338  The  Life  Work  of 

for  theologians,  the  magister  inagisterum.  And  in  the 
long  run  he  elected  wisely  when  he  gave  himself  to  the 
production  of  these  penetrating  and  profound 
researches  into  selected  doctrines,  which  will  enable 
him  to  render  this  larger  and  more  influential  service 
to  the  Church. 

The  type  of  theology  which  he  represents  is  one 
which  will  always  be  needed:  intensely  philosophic 
and  intensely  aggressive  at  one  and  the  same  time.  In 
the  vast  sweep  of  the  ages  that  system  which  is  most 
rational  will  be  most  commanding  and  influential  and 
the  theologian  can  do  no  higher  service  than  first  to 
extract  by  sound  exegesis  the  contents  of  the  Scrip- 
ture, and  then  to  demonstrate,  wherever  it  can  be  done, 
the  reasonableness  of  the  Scriptural  teachings  in  the 
sense  of  the  harmony  between  Scripture  and  reason, 
and  when  this  can  not  be  done  to  demonstrate  at  least 
that  the  Scriptural  teaching  does  not  contradict  the 
deliverances  of  the  rational  power.  Whatever  popular 
opinion  may  say  today  or  tomorrow  or  upon  any  pass- 
ing human  day,  the  reason  is  the  deepest  thing  in  man, 
and  he  does  the  business  of  a  theologian  best  who  sets 
the  Scripture  and  reason  in  right  relations  with  each 
other.  No  theologian  of  our  day  has  wrought  more 
successfully  at  this  task  than  Dr.  Girardeau,  and  his 
reward,  though  deferred  for  a  season,  is  sure.  Com- 
bined with  this  as  a  necessary  corollary  was  the  aggres- 
siveness of  his  theological  type,  which  could  not  keep 
the  peace  with  opi30sing  systems  because  of  their 
unscriptural  and  irrational  character.  A  Calvinism 
which  smiles  indiscriminately  upon  all  its  historical 
opponents  has  lost  its  vitality  and  is  in  danger  of 
burial.      Dr.    Girardeau    was    professor    of    Didactic 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  339 

and  Polemic  Theology,  and  he  must  be  both  in  order 
to  be  either.  While  having  the  largest  charity  for  all 
of  God's  people,  he  did  not  construe  this  to  be  a  rea- 
son for  failing  in  loyalty  to  God's  truth  or  for  failing 
to  expose  false  doctrine  in  any  of  its  forms.  He  saw 
no  reason  to  apologize  for  the  faith  in  which  the  most 
of  God's  people  have  lived  and  died  and  knew  no  other 
policy  than  to  expound,  defend  and  propagate  it — all 
in  the  most  stalwart,  manly.  Christian  way  of  course. 
An  aggressive  Calvinism,  buttressed  by  Scripture  and 
supported  by  reason  will  win  the  day ;  and  this  is  the 
type  which  our  theologian  represented.  May  he  have 
an  ever  increasing  host  of  successors ! 

The  splendid  service  which  he  rendered  as  teacher 
and  author,  adds  lustre  to  the  Columbia  Theological 
Seminary,  of  which  he  was  a  professor  for  nearly  a 
score  of  years,  and  upon  the  list  of  its  honored  sons 
whether  as  student  or  professor  his  name  stands  first. 
The  theology  of  Thornwell  and  Girardeau  must  always 
be  the  type  for  which  this  institution  stands.  Its  his- 
tory demands  it.  Its  constituency  are  pledged  to  it. 
The  loyal  sons  of  their  alma  mater  would  consent  to 
nothing  else.  After  all  is  said  and  done,  the  Chair  of 
Systematic  Theology  is  the  king  professorship  and 
determines  the  type  of  theology  for  which  the  insti- 
tution stands.  Thornwell,  Girardeau,  and  their  suc- 
cessors have  wisely  shaped  the  spirit  and  decided  well 
the  type  of  which  this  Seminary  is  the  exponent. 
And  an  appreciative  Church  appraises  at  its  true  value 
the  service  which  they  have  rendered,  and  counts  with 
calm  confidence  upon  its  continuance  for  the  coming 
days.  The  Southern  Church  can  never  forget  the  serv- 
ices rendered  by  that  splendid  line  of  professors,  both 


340  The  Life  Work  of 

of  the  past  and  the  present,  who  have  enriched  the  his- 
tory of  this  noble  institution  and  who  have  enriched 
also  the  life  of  the  Church  which  they  served,  and  at 
the  head  of  this  list  stands  the  name  of 
JOHN  L.  GIRAKDEAU. 


CHAPTER  XI 


EXAMPLES  OF  POEMS  AND  OTHER 
WRITINGS 

By  George  A.  Blackburn,  D.  D. 

In  early  youth  Dr.  Girardeau  showed  that  he  had 
been  gifted  above  his  fellows  with  the  power  of  expres- 
sion. His  meditation  entitled,  "The  Old  Church,"  only 
a  fragment  of  which  remains,  was  written  when  he 
was  nineteen  years  of  age.  Here  is  seen  the  budding 
scholar,  philosopher,  orator,  and  Christian.  His  medi- 
tation, "Sabbath  Morning,"  was  written  a  year  later, 
and  brings  out  more  strongly  the  poetic  imagination 
that  gave  such  a  peculiar  charm  to  his  speeches  and 
sermons.  These,  with  some  other  samples  of  his  writ- 
ings, will  be  inserted  in  this  chapter.  His  hymns  and 
translations  of  Psalms  are  especially  worthy  of  being 
preserved.  Some  of  them  ought  to  find  their  way  into 
our  Hymnals. 

"THE  OLD  CHURCH." 

"It  was  evening,  the  shadows  of  night  were  fast  gathering 
like  a  mantle  around,  when  I  took  my  way  alone  to  the  country 
church.  To  a  stranger,  when  approaching  it,  there  would  be 
very  little  either  striking  or  interesting  except  the  ordinary 
solemn  influence  which  hangs  over  the  last  remains  of  those 
who  were  once  flushed  with  the  bouyancy  of  life.  But  to  me 
the  spot  was  peculiarly  interesting.  Around  it  cluster  a  thou- 
sand recollections  which,  while  memory  retains  its  seat,  can 
never  be  effaced. 

"To  any  one  of  even  ordinary  sensibility,  the  last  resting 
place  of  the  dead  is  a  solemn  spot.  The  affecting  contrast 
which  it  presents  to  active  life;  the  somber,  still,  repose, 
broken  only  by  the  chirp  of  the  cricket  or  the  hoot  of  the  dis- 


342  The  Life  Work  of 

tant  owl;  the  soft  breeze  sighing  in  querrulous  tones  through 
the  tall  tree  tops,  hymning  a  requiem  to  the  departed ;  the  long 
grass  waving  over  the  narrow  beds  of  the  motionless  tenants — ■ 
these  all  conspire  to  draw  the  soul  away  from  the  din  and 
bustle,  the  carking  cares  and  corroding  anxieties  of  this  mortal 
life,  and  lead  it  to  the,  contemplation  of  scenes  beyond  the 
reach  of  time.  There  is  nothing  here  to  interrupt  our  fanta- 
sies ;  no  jar  of  the  busy  throngs  as  they  press  recklessly  on  in 
the  pursuit  of  an  unreal  happiness  to  which  they  must  at  some 
future  time  bid  a  long  farewell,  no  noise  of  city  commotion,  no 
tramp  of  crowds,  nothing,  nothing,  to  break  the  silence  of  the 
grave — all  is  perfect  quiet.  The  voice  of  conscience  and  of 
God  fall  in  thrilling  tones  upon  the  heart;  the  stormy  clamor 
of  passion  is  hushed,  and  we  are  prepared  for  the  reception  of 
all-important  truth. 

"Let  us  imagine  an  old  philosopher  of  times  unblessed  by  the 
light  of  Christianity,  but  still  an  ardent  enquirer  after  truth, 
realizing  the  imperfection  of  human  nature,  and  feeling  keenly 
the  want  of  some  better  religious  system  than  the  world  had 
yet  afforded  him,  despairing  of  any  light  to  guide  him  through 
the  mazes  of  life  and  to  shine  upon  the  thick  darkness  which 
hovered  fearfully  above  the  tomb,  touchingly  crying  out,  'causa 
causarum,  miserere  meH'  Let  us,  I  say,  picture  to  ourselves 
such  a  man,  sitting  among  the  graves  of  those  whom  he  had 
loved,  and  forming  vague,  wild,  uncertain  conjectures  as  to  the 
state  which  is  now  present  to  their  conscious  spirits,  and  which 
will  soon  be  present  to  his  own,  lost  in  a  labyrinth  of  shapeless 
hypotheses,  and  standing  on  the  verge  of  despair.  A  voice  from 
heaven  falls  upon  his  startled  ear,  and  in  tones  which  carry  con- 
viction reveals  to  him  a  future  state  of  rewards  and  punish- 
ments, the  imperishable  nature  of  the  soul,  and  its  immortal 
destiny  beyond  the  grave,  and  then  the  method  of  securing  eter- 
nal life  and  happiness.  Who  can  conjecture  his  feelings?  What 
astonishment  and  what  rapture !  The  gloom  of  despair,  now  dis- 
sipated forever,  he  leaps  for  joy  in  the  glorious  anticipation  of 
life  and  immortality.  A  new  sun  has  arisen,  another  creation  of 
light  has  taken  place,  and  the  immortal  soul  once  shrounded  in 
mist  and  darkness  is  now  illuminated  by  that  sun.  How  precious 
would  such  truth  be  to  that  man !  With  what  miser  care  would 
he  guard  the  treasure,  and  pass  it  onward  in  the  path  of  life ! 
Such  truth  does  the  Bible  contain.    And  yet,  alas !  we  trifle  on 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  343 

the  brink  of  the  tomb,  and  laugh  when  the  interests  of  eternity 
are  urged  upon  our  consideration.  Oh !  what  a  fearful  account 
will  too  many  have  to  give  of  misspent  opportunities  and 
derided  privileges.  The  same  light  which  would  now  guide  us 
on  our  journey  to  the  tomb  and  lead  us  in  the  path  to  heaven 
will,  when  that  journey  is  over  and  the  heavenly  path  is  no 
longer  open  to  us,  expose  our  guilty  souls  at  the  awful  tribunal 
of  our  God  and  Judge.  I  have  wandered  from  my  original 
subject,  but  these  reflections  are  such  as  naturally  press  them- 
selves on  the  mind  when  musing  in  a  grave-filled  churchyard. 
"But  to  return.  The  dusk  of  evening  was  fast  setting  in, 
and  one  by  one  the  pale  lamps  were  lighted  in  the  far-off  sky, 
I  opened  the  door  of  the  old  church,  and  walking  softly  up  the 
aisle,  took  my  seat  in  the  pew  where  my  father  and  mother 
used  to  sit,  under  the  'droppings  of  the  sanctuary,'  and  worship 
the  God  of  their  fathers.  All  was  still  as  death.  The  dim 
light  of  the  fast-expiring  day  glowed  faintly  through  the  old- 
fashioned  windows.  The  pulpit  where  the  men  of  God,  some 
of  them  now  gone  to  their  rewards,  used  to  declare  the  counsel 
of  their  Maker  was  but  feebly  visible  in  the  thickening 
shadows.  How  many  affecting  and  deeply  solemn  recollections 
crowded  upon  me  in  that  moment !  I  was  sitting  where  my 
mother  used  to  sit,  and  all  the  hallowed  remembrances  which 
always  attend  the  thought  of  her  stole  softly  and  sweetly  over 
me  in  that  holy  place.  ..." 

"SABBATH  MORNING." 
"Preferring  walking  to  riding  on  this  beautiful  morning,  I 
took  my  way  leisurely  to  the  church.  It  was  the  holy  season 
of  communion.  The  table  of  the  Lord  was  spread  and  I  went 
with  softened  and  devout  feelings  to  sit  there  and  think  of  a 
dying  Savior's  love.  Everything  around  tallied  with  this  state 
of  my  feelings.  No  gloomy  cloud  obscured  the  calm,  sweet, 
face  of  the  far  blue  sky;  no  boisterous  wind  reminded  me  of 
stormy  passions  which  often  agitate  the  human  heart — all  was 
still  and  peaceful.  It  was  indeed  a  Sahhath.  Nature  seemed 
to  wear  the  same  smile  of  loveliness  that  she  must  have  worn 
when  fresh  from  the  hands  of  her  great  creator.  I  always  call 
to  mind  old  Herbert's  sweet  lines  on  such  a  day. 

"  'Sweet  day,  so  pure,  so  calm,  so  bright. 
The  bridal  of  the  earth  and  sky.' 


344  The  Life  Work  of 

Aud  the  thought  would  intrude  that  even  this  beautiful  day- 
must  eypire.  Could  we  not  detain  it?  Were  it  not  impious,  we 
could  almost  wish  for  a  Joshua's  power  to  stay  the  sun  in  his 
course  that  we  might  enjoy  a  little  longer  the  beauty  of  the 
charm.  However,  there  is  not  one  lovely  object  but  has  its 
hour  of  death.  This  morning  which  seems  too  sweet  soon  to 
pass  away  must  be  succeeded  by  the  dusl^y  shades  of  night. 

"  'Sweet  dews  will  weep  thy  fall  tonight, 
For  thou  must  die." 

We  might  exclaim  in  the  cold  language  of  the  day.  Well,  let  it 
go,  tomorrow's  sun  may  bring  one  just  as  bright.  But  we  can 
not.  We  can  not  let  thee  depart  without  one  sigh  for  thy 
early  death.  The  dews  will  weep  for  thee,  the  stars  will  be 
funeral  tapers  to  burn  over  thy  grave,  the  sable  garment  of 
night  will  be  thy  pall  and  the  mourning  weeds  that  Nature 
will  wear  for  thee,  the  love  whistle  of  the  finch,  and  the  chirp 
of  the  solitary  cricket  will  be  thy  dirge.  And  I,  sweet  day,  will 
sit  and  mourn  that  thou  hast  taken  thy  flight  forever.  Many 
an  equally  bright  and  lovely  day  may  bless  our  sight  in  future 
times;  many  a  fragrant  flower  will  scent  the  gale;  and  many 
a  happy  bird  will  'sing  the  morn  as  merrilie,'  but  the  same 
soft  feeling,  the  same  high  and  holy  thoughts  which  hallow 
thee  may  never  more  visit  my  breast. 

"As  I  pushed  my  way  along  the  pleasant  path,  I  listened  to 
the  birds  as  they  sang  their  morning  hymns  to  their  creator, 
and  I  joined  in  with  my  voice  and  heart.  I  saw  the  sweet 
jessamines  lifting  their  heads  as  they  perfumed  the  gentle 
breeze.  But  my  attention  was  caught  by  a  wild  violet  that 
scarcely  dared  lift  up  its  modest  head  above  the  bosom  of  its 
mother  earth.  I  stooped  down  to  admire  it  and  thought  how 
much  prettier  and  sweeter  this  lowly  flower  was  than  the 
gaudy,  though  really  handsome  jessamine  that  reared  itself  on 
high  as  if  disdaining  the  station  of  its  humbler  companion. 
And  thus  it  is  ever  with  the  people  of  the  world.  The  love  of 
display  seems  to  be  almost  inherent  in  man.  'Some  flaunt  in 
rags  (if  they  can  get  nothing  else)  and  some  in  rich  brocade.' 
Like  the  jessamine,  those  who  are  gifted  by  the  benignant  hand 
of  God  with  natural  graces  and  external  beauties,  instead  of 
being  grateful,  and  of  humbly  adoring  the  hand  which  can 
take  away  as  well  as  give,  are  proud  and  vain,  and  make  use 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  345 

of  any  circumstance  which  can  exalt  them  in  the  eyes  of  their 
fellow  men.  Like  the  jessamine,  they  cling  to  foreign  supports 
which,  when  swept  away,  leave  them  'poor  indeed.'  In  what 
graceful  wreath  and  pendent  festoons  that  vine  hangs  from 
the  tree  which  sustains  it;  but  when  the  ruthless  axe  is  laid 
at  the  root  of  the  tree  lowly,  how  fallen  it  lies !  But  let  us, 
while  we  do  not  underrate  the  gifts  of  God,  not  repose  in  exter- 
nal beauty,  look  within  and  cultivate  those  powers  which  will 
serve  us  in  the  hour  of  need. 

"But  there  are  some,  who,  though  endowed  with  many 
exquisite  graces,  keep  in  mind  the  frailty  of  these  graces  and 
are  humble  and  retiring.  Such  as  these  are  flowers — lovely 
flowers  that  bloom  in  this  cold  world  and  seem  too  tender  to 
flourish  long  on  this  side  the  tomb.  They  find  here  an  uncon- 
genial soil,  and,  like  the  violet,  clinging  near  to  earth,  are 
trampled  heedlessly  by  the  rough  and  rude.  These  are  the 
victims  upon  whom  soonest  falls  the  sickle  of  the  Angel  of 
Death. 

"  'There  is  a  reaper  whose  name  is  Death 
And  with  his  sickle  keen 
He  reaps  the  bearded  grain  at  a  breath 

And  the  flowers  that  grow  between. 
"Shall  I  have  naught  that  is  fair?"  saith  he; 
"Have  naught  but  the  bearded  grain? 
Though  the  breath  of  these  flowers  is  sweet  to  me 
I  will  give  them  all  back  again."  '  " 


POEMS. 
"MOONLIGHT    ON    THE    SEA."* 

'How  softly  streams  yon  fair  moonlight 

Upon  the  dark  blue  sea ! 
Like  angel  spirits  pure  and  bright 

It  dances  in  its  glee. 
Far,  far  it  stretches  o'er  the  stream. 

Till  vision  melts  away. 
It  seemeth  like  a  rapt'rous  dream 

Of  immortality. 


*Written  while  at  college. 


346  The  Life  Work  of 

"How  merry,  merry  are  its  beams 

Like  fairy  elves  at  play ; 
How  every  gleaming  wavelet  teems 

With  virgin  purity! 
Like  fairy  elves  they  seem  to  sport 

With  Ocean's  hoary  crest, 
And  e'en  old  Ocean  loves  to  count 

Their  laughter  and  their  jest. 

"Then  dance  away,  thou  sweet  moonlight, 

I  love  thy  smiling  face 
That  puts  to  flight  the  gloom  of  night 

And  fills  my  soul  with  peace. 
Yes,  I  can  sit  and  revel  here. 

And  converse  hold  with  thee ; 
For  thou  art  to  my  spirit  dear. 

Thou  Moonlight  on  the  Sea ! 

"Thy  smile  can  make  a  sea  of  strife 

A  softer  aspect  take; 
But  o'er  my  sad  and  troubled  life 

A  sweeter  smile  doth  break. 
Ah,  Moonlight,  thou  mayest  on  the  sea 

With  peerless  brightness  shine; 
The  smile  of  Jesus  give  to  me 

And  I'll  not  covet  thine." 


"SPRING." 

'Tis  Spring,  and  Nature's  form  is  seen 

Attired  in  robes  of  fairest  hue ; 
Her  mantle  green,  how  bright  its  sheen. 

And  gemmed  with  drops  of  pearly  dew, 
Her  voice  of  love — her  voice  of  love. 

How  soft  it  streams  from  every  hill! 
How  sweet  the  note  that  seems  to  float 

From  every  murmuring,  weeping  rill ! 
There's  not  a  flower  in  rosy  bower 

That  lifts  its  modest,  blushing  head. 
And  steals  a  kiss  of  dewy  bliss 

From  Morning's  lip  of  glowing  red — 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  347 

There's  not  a  lovely  saffron  tint 

That  paints  the  couch  of  dying  Day — 
There's  not  a  star  that  beams  afar, 

And  lights  retiring  Eve  away — 
There's  not  a  tone  by  Seraphs  blown 

To  which  the  ear  of  Fancy  listens — 
There's  not  a  bead  of  early  dew 

That  on  the  fragrant  myrtle  glistens — 
There's  not  a  breeze  that  through  the  trees 

Low  sighs  the  requiem  of  day — 
But  worship  brings,  and  praises  sings 

To  Nature's  God  in  Nature's  way. 
Her  voice  of  love  is  heard  above 

Though  mortal  sense  despise  her  tongue, 
Her  Maker's  ear  bows  down  to  hear 

Her  matin  and  her  vesper  song. 
Though  mortal  eye  may  not  descry 

The  native  charms  of  her  sweet  face; 
Her  Maker's  eye  is  ever  nigh. 

To  note  each  beauty  and  each  grace." 


"SONS  OF  THE   SOUTH,  ARISE  !  ARISE  !"* 

'Sons  of  the  men  who  fought  and  bled, 
By  Greene,  and  Lee  and  Sumter  led, 
Or  followed  fast  through  swamp  and  glade, 
The  star  of  Marion's  flashing  blade, — 
Now  let  them  live  again  in  you, 
Now  prove  your  glorious  lineage  true, 
Light  up  afresh  the  undying  fires 
Of  revolutionary  sires. 

'Hear  ye  the  tramp  of  Northmen's  feet? 
New  England  heels  your  highways  beat; 
And  shall  their  columns'  spurning  tread 
Profane  the  ashes  of  your  dead? — 
Enough  to  make  the  patriot's  bone 
Turn  'neath  the  cold  sepulchral  stone! 
Enough  to  rouse  his  mould'ring  form 
Once  more  to  breast  the  battle's  storm ! 


♦This,  and  the  following  two  poems,  are  inserted  to  show  the  intense 
feeling  of  the  South  at  what  it  regarded  a  ruthless  and  unwarranted 
invasion. 


348  The  Life  AVork  of 

"The  voices  from  your  common  Past 
Shall  stir  you  like  a  trumpet's  blast ; 
The  mighty  pulse  of  one  great  soul 
Shall  beat  your  thrilling  battle-roll. 
Shoulder  to  shoulder,  hand  to  hand, 
For  freedom's  rights  together  stand; 
Or,  wrapped  in  one  infolding  pall. 
In  the  last  pass  of  freedom  fall. 

"Behold  your  country  bo\ys  her  head, 
And  weeps  her  gallant,  martyred  dead ; 
But  you  she  bids,  with  kindling  eye. 
'My  sons  avenge,  or  with  them  die!' 
Religion  at  her  altars  kneels. 
Meek  childhood  to  your  strength  appeals, 
And  Innocence  and  Virtue  claim 
Your  arm  to  shield  from  deepest  shame. 

"Sons  of  the  South,  arise !  arise  I 
For  all  that  men  are  wont  to  prize 
Of  freedom,  honor,  country,  State, 
Is  staked  upon  the  fierce  debate. 
Strike  now !  the  historic  hour  is  come 
That  stamps  your  glory  or  your  doom; 
Strike  home !  resolved  ye  ne'er  will  see 
The  funeral  rites  of  liberty. 

"By  the  bright,  sunny  land  ye  love. 
By  the  green  fields  your  children  rove, 
By  the  domestic  altars  where 
Your  wives  and  sisters  bend  in  prayer. 
By  the  sweet  name  of  liberty. 
The  quenchless  instincts  of  the  free, 
Go  down  you  may  to  freemen's  graves, 
Ye'll  never,  never  live  as  slaves ! 

"Southrons,  the  right  is  on  your  side. 
The  truth  shall  stem  this  stormy  tide. 
The  living  God  shall  be  your  tower 
And  fortress  in  this  trying  hour. 
Trust  Him,  and  through  the  clouds  of  war 
Shall  glitter  freedom's  morning  star ; 
Trust  Him,  and  His  great  name  shall  be 
The  oriflame  of  victory." 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  349 

"hymn  for  the  war." 

"O  Lord  of  Hosts,  to  Thee  we  kneel, 
To  Thee  amidst  this  strife  appeal ; 
Forgive  our  sins  against  Thy  laws. 
Against  our  foes  defend  our  cause. 

"God  of  our  fathers,  let  Thy  might 
Uphold  the  truth,  support  the  right ; 
Be  Thou  our  leader.  Thou  our  shield, 
On  each  ensanguined  battle-field. 

"O  Thou  most  mighty,  gird  Thy  sword 
Upon  Thy  thigh  and  give  the  word. 
Now  let  the  flaming  pillar  guide 
Our  armies  through  the  battle's  tide. 

"Inspire  our  heroes  for  the  fight. 
Spirit  of  justice,  truth  and  right, 
Then  when  the  invading  hosts  shall  flee, 
A  country's  thanks  shall  rise  to  Thee. 

"And  when  each  storm  of  strife  is  o'er. 
The  sabre's  clash,  the  cannon's  roar, 
Where'er  the  patriot  down  shall  lie 
Upon  his  gory  bed  to  die — 

"Lord  Jesus!  Saviour  of  mankind. 
Thy  mercy  let  the  sufferer  find ; 
Receive  the  suppliant's  latest  sigh, 
And  close  the  soldier's  dying  eye." 

"LINES    ON   THE    DEATH    OF    MAJOR   MATHEW   V.    BANCROFT." 

"This  lamented  young  officer,  the  major  of  the  Twenty-third 
Regiment  of  South  Carolina  Volunteers,  received  a  fatal  wound 
in  the  trenches  near  Petersburg  while  preparing  the  regiment 
to  receive  an  expected  assault.  In  his  note  book,  found  in  his 
pocket,  were  inscribed  the  following  words :  'Tell  my  dear 
parents  that  I  fell  at  the  post  of  duty,  while  fighting  for  my 
noble  country,'     He  died  June  22,  1864." 

"At  Freedom's  shrine  he  calmly  took  his  stand. 
To  lay  himself  a  willing  offering  down ; 
Nor  thrust  he  back  the  sacrificial  hand 
That  wreathed  upon  his  brow  the  martyr's  crown. 


350  The  Life  Work  of 

"  'Here,  at  the  post  of  danger,  I'll  perform 
My  duty  at  my  Country's  sacred  call ; 
Although  when  next  shall  rage  the  battle's  storm, 
My  prescient  spirit  warns  me  I  shall  fall.' 

"Prophetic  words !     'Be  ready,  men,'  he  said, 

'To  meet  the  shock  of  yonder  gathering  foe!' 
Unblenched  he  stood,— when  o'er  the  rampart  sped 
The  bolt  that  laid  the  youthful  hero  low. 

"The  noble  heart  is  stilled,  that  erewhile  gushed 
With  every  high  emotion  of  the  brave ; 
The  clarion  voice,  that  cheered  to  arms,  is  hushed 
In  the  deep  stillness  of  a  soldier's  grave. 

"Bancroft,  farewell !    Forgive  the  starting  tear. 
For  thou  art  gone,  our  circle's  fairest  gem ; 
But  thou,  with  lustrous  light,  shalt  glitter  e'er 
A  jewel  in  thy  Country's  diadem." 


"LINES   FOR  MISS  M.   S.'S  ALBUM." 
'Nothing  to  pay?'     No,  nothing,  to  win 
Salvation  by  merit  from  law  and  from  sin ; 
But  all  things,  to  buy,  without  money  and  price. 
The  wine  and  the  milk  of  a  free  Paradise. 

'Nothing  to  do?'     No,  not  to  procure 

A  heaven,  by  infinite  blood  made  secure ; 

But  all  things,  with  labour  and  sweat  of  the  face, 

To  honor  my  Saviour  and  magnify  grace. 

'What  of  the  law?'    Its  thunders  were  stilled 
Against  my  poor  soul,  by  the  blood  that  was  spilled : 
But  the  hands  which  were  nailed  to  the  wood  of  the  Tree 
Now  wield  its  commands  to  be  honored  by  me. 

'Nothing  of  guilt?'    No,  not  to  my  God, 

As  Judge  and  Condemner,  uplifting  His  rod; 

But,  ah,  I  am  guilty  of  breaking  His  Word 

In  the  house  of  my  Father — the  Church  of  my  Lord. 

'What  am  I  waiting  for?'     Spare  me  a  while 
To  tell  of  Thy  love  to  a  sinner  so  vile ! 
Then  take  me  to  Heaven,  which  is  not  my  due. 
And  give  me  the  Crown  of  Fidelity,  too  !" 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  351 

"the  flower  of  hope." 

"When  Eve,  our  first  mother,  forlorn, 
Was  banished  the  garden  of  God, 
She  plucked  at  the  root  of  a  thorn 
A  flower  be-sprinkled  with  blood. 

"And  we,  the  sad  children  of  Eve, 

May  find  the  same  blood-tinctured  rose; 
The  emblem  of  Hope  when  we  grieve, 
Midst  thorny  aflaictions  it  blows. 

•'It  blooms  in  the  chamber  of  woe. 

Where  widows  are  drooping  the  head. 
And  little  ones  timidly  go 
A  tip-toe  to  gaze  on  the  dead. 

"It  grows  where  the  stormy  winds  rave 
In  this  valley  of  sin  and  of  gloom ; 
It  springs  from  the  mould  of  the  grave. 
And  twines  round  the  gates  of  the  tomb. 

"Dear  Fanny,  'tis  faith  in  the  Cross 

Which  causes  this  flower  divine 
To  bloom  in  the  sepulchre's  moss; 
Its  promise  of  glory  be  thine !" 


'LINES    OCCASIONED    BY    THE    DEATH    OP    HARRIET    ENGLISH 
PINCKNEY,  A  SINGULARLY  SWEET  AND  PROMISING  CHILD." 

"I  saw  a  Paradise, 
To  which  the  saints  arise, 

Where  is  no  night: 
There  stiller  waters  flow, 
There  greener  pastures  grow, 
There  sweeter  blossoms  blow. 

That  know  no  blight. 

"I  saw  no  darkened  room, 
No  black-robed  mourners  come ; 

Pure  is  that  air : 
None  hold  the  aching  head, 
None  press  the  sufferer's  bed, 
No  dying  couch  is  spread : 

Death  reigns  not  there. 


352  The  Life  Work  of 

"I  saw  no  little  biers, 
On  which  pale  mothers'  tears 

Ran  raining  down : 
No  father  sore  distressed 
Saw  I,  with  heaving  breast. 
Lay  his  sweet  child  to  rest. 
Beneath  the  ground. 

"I  saw  an  infant  band 
Led  by  the  Shepherd's  hand. 

And  loving  eye : 
They  look  into  His  face. 
And  softly  hymn  His  praise, 
Through  all  the  happy  days, 

And  never  die. 

"O,  why  these  tears  we  weep. 
Because  our  children  sleep 

On  Jesus'  breast? 
A  little  while,  and  we 
An  end  of  cares  shall  see. 
And  then  lie  down,  and  be 

With  them  at  rest. 

"But  hark !  a  voice  of  love ! 
It  speaks :  'On  things  above 

Now  set  your  heart: 
Then  to  yon  Paradise. 
Ye  shall  one  day  arise. 
And  see  them,  with  your  eyes. 
No  more  to  part.' 

"We  hear  the  voice  Divine; 
Our  lambs  we  now  resign. 

Saviour,  to  Thee: 
We  still  the  throbbing  heart, 
And  wipe  the  tears  that  start, 
There,  there  we  shall  not  part, 
Eternally." 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  353 

"LIFE." 

'Life !    'Tis  a  passing  breath, 

A  vapor  of  today, 
Appearing  for  a  little  while. 

And  vanishing  away. 

'Life !     'Tis  a  courier  swift 

With  tidings  from  the  fray ; 
With  bending  form  and  foaming  steed 

He  posteth  on  his  way. 

'Life !    'Tis  the  eagle's  flight 

Across  the  trackless  way ; 
His  rapid  pinion  beats  the  air — 

He  hasteth  to  the  prey. 

'Life !    'Tis  the  gallant  ship, 

With  pennon  floating  free; 
The  favouring  gale  swells  all  her  sails, 

Look  now !     She's  far  at  sea. 

'Life  !    'Tis  a  fleeting  dream 

That  ends  a  troubled  night; 
But  start  not — Lo !  the  morning  beam 

Of  everlasting  light. 

'Life!     'Tis  the  setting  sun 

That  sinks  in  storms  away; 
But  see!  the  morrow  is  begun 

Of  Heaven's  eternal  day." 


"DEATH. 


'The  brightest  eye  must  dim  in  death, 
The  loveliest  cheek  grow  marble  pale 

The  warmest  heart  must  chill  beneath 
The  lowly  wild-flowers  of  the  vale. 

"The  proudest  head  must  bow. 
The  tallest  form  must  stoop. 
And  in  the  grave  so  still  and  low 
The  sweetest  blossom  droop. 


354  The  Life  Work  of 

"The  brightest  sun  must  set  at  night, 
The  fairest  day  expire  in  shade, 
And  nipping  frosts  will  ever  blight 
The  bloom  o'er  nature's  bosom  laid. 

"My  life,  e'en  now  it  wears 
Death's  livery  on  its  sky; 
My  hopes,  how  soon  they'll  set  in  tears! 
How  soon  in  ruin  lie! 

"Ye  earthly  visions,  fare  ye  well ! 
Farewell,  ye  dreams  of  fairy  light ! 
I  can  not  thus  consent  to  dwell 
Away  from  God  in  endless  night. 

"While  earthly  flowers  are  fading  fast 

And  earthly  hopes  are  withering  too, — 
JESUS,  on  Thee  my  soul  I  cast, 
Illusive  scenes,  adieu  !  adieu  !" 


"IT  IS  I." 
"Take  courage,  wanderer,  when  the  cloud  of  night 

Lowers  o'er  the  way ; 
Though  stormy  winds  may  whistle  loud 
Through  tattered  sail  and  mast  and  shroud, 
Go  on.    'Twill  soon  be  day ! 

"Li^t,  wanderer :   O'er  the  roaring  deep. 
Comes  there  a  cheering  cry. 
It  stills  the  angry  wave  to  sleep — 
'Tis  Jesus  tells  thee  not  to  weep : 
'Take  courage,  it  is  I.'  " 


'THE  LAST  HOPE  OF  THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD. 

"Thou  who  from  Olive's  brow  didst  rise 
In  splendid  triumph  to  the  skies, 
Before  the  rapt  disciples'  eyes. 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come! 
For  Thy  appearance  all  things  pray, 
All  Nature  sighs  at  Thy  delay. 
Thy  people  cry, — no  longer  stay. 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come! 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  355 

"Hear  Thou  the  whole  creation's  groan, 
The  burdened  creatures'  plaintive  moan, 
The  cry  of  deserts  wild  and  lone, 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come! 
See  signals  of  distress  unfurled 
By  States  on  stormy  billows  hurled. 
Thou  Pole-star  of  a  shipwrecked  world. 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come! 

"Hush  the  rude  blast  of  war's  alarms. 
The  tocsin's  tale,  the  clash  of  arms. 
Incarnate  Love,  exert  Thy  charms, 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come! 
Walk  once  again  upon  the  face 
Of  this  sad  earth's  tempestuous  seas, 
And  still  the  waves,  O  Prince  of  Peace; 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come! 

"Lo,  Thy  fair  Bride,  with  garments  torn. 
Of  her  celestial  radiance  shorn. 
Upturns  her  face  with  watching  worn. 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come! 

Her  trickling  tears,  her  piteous  cries, 

Her  struggles,  fears,  and  agonies, 

Appeal  to  Thy  deep  sympathies, — 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come! 

"By  doubts  and  sorrows  inly  pressed, 
By  foes  beleaguered  and  oppressed, 
Hear  the  strong  plea  of  her  unrest — 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come! 
Hope  of  the  Sacramental  Host, 
Their  joy,  their  glory  and  their  boast. 
Without  Thine  advent  all  is  lost, 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come! 

"Flush  the  dark  firmament  afar, 
And  let  Thy  flaming  sign  appear; 
Shine  forth,  O  lustrous  Morning  Star, 

Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come  ! 
Break  through  the  lowering  clouds  of  night. 
Put  these  sepulchral  shades  to  flight. 
Flash  out,  O  Resurrection  Light, 
Lord  Jesus,  quickly  come ! 


356  The  Life  Work  of 

"And  when  the  astonished  heavens  shall  flee, 
When  powers  of  earth  and  hell  to  Thee 
Shall  bend  the  reverential  knee, 

In  that  great  Day  of  Doom ; 
Be  ours  the  happy  lot  to  stand 
Among  the  white-robed,  ransomed  band. 
And  hear  Thee  say,  with  outstretched  hand. 

Ye  blessed  children,  come !" 


"BABE  OF  BETHLEHEM." 

'Blessed  Babe  of  Bethlehem, 

Owner  of  earth's  diadem. 

Claim,  and  wear  the  radiant  gem. 

'Scatter  darkness  with  Thy  light, 
End  the  sorrows  of  our  night, 
Speak  the  word,  and  all  is  bright. 

'Spoil  the  spoiler  of  the  earth, 
Bring  creation's  second  birth, 
Promised  day  of  song  and  mirth. 

'Tis  thine  Israel's  voice  that  calls. 
Build  again  thy  Salem's  walls, 
Dwell  within  her  holy  halls. 

"Tis  Thy  Church's  voice  that  cries. 
Rend  these  long  unrendered  skies. 
Bridegroom  of  the  Church,  arise. 

'Take  to  Thee  Thy  power  and  reign. 

Purify  this  earth  again ; 

Cleanse  it  from  each  curse  and  stain. 

'Sun  of  peace,  no  longer  stay, 
Let  the  shadows  flee  away, 
And  the  long  night  end  in  day. 

'We  adore  Thee  as  our  King, 
And  to  Thee  our  song  we  sing ; 
Our  best  offering  to  Thee  bring. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  357 

"Lamb  of  God,  Thy  lowly  name, 
King  of  kings,  we  Thee  proclaim ; 
Heaven  and  earth  shall  hear  its  fame. 

"Bearer  of  our  sins'  sad  load, 
Wi elder  of  the  iron  rod, 
Judah's  Lion,  Lamb  of  God ! 

"Mighty  King  of  righteousness, 
King  of  glory,  king  of  peace, 
Never  shall  thy  kingdom  cease ! 

"Thee,  earth's  heir  and  Lord,  we  own ; 
Raise  again  its   fallen   throne, 
Take  its  everlasting  crown," 


"O  PRAISE  HIM  EVERMORE  !" 

'Come,  sinners,  praise  the  bleeding  Lamb 

He  all  your  sorrows  bore ; 
Come,  sing  a  hymn  to  Jesus'  name, 

O  praise  Him  evermore! 

'He  wept.  He  bled.  He  died  in  shame. 

Salvation  to  procure; 
All  glory  give  to  Jesus'  name, 

O  praise  Him  evermore! 

'He  lifts  you  from  a  bed  of  flame 

To  glory's  open  door ; 
Ye  find  your  Heaven  in  Jesus'  name, 

O  praise  Him  evermore! 

'Ye  dying  souls,  ye  blind  and  lame. 

Ye  broken-hearted  poor, 
Life,  light  and  rest  is  Jesus'  name, 

O  praise  Him  evermore! 

'Come,  ransomed  sinners,  shout  His  fame, 

Tell  all  His  glories  o'er; 
Eternal  thanks  to  Jesus'  name, 

O  praise  Him  evermore !" 


358  The  Life  Work  of 

"the  song  of  moses  and  the  lamb." 
"Thousands  of  thousands  round  the  throne 

Shall  sing  the  heav'nly  psalm — 
The  new,  the  everlasting  song 
Of  Moses  and  the  Lamb. 

"Kindreds  and  people,  tribes  and  tongues. 

Shall,  with  united  heart. 
Cry,— 'Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Thou 
Lord  God  Almighty  art !' 

"Great  are  Thy  works  and  marvelous 
O  Thou  Almighty  Lord ! 
How  just  and  true  are  all  Thy  ways, 
Thou  King  of  saints  adored ! 

"Who  shall  not  fear  Thee,  righteous  Lord, 
And  glorify  Thy  name? 
Thou  only  holy  art ;  and  all 
Shall  celebrate  Thy  fame. 

"Worthy  the  Lamb,  for  He  was  slain, 

And  to  the  Lord  our  God 
From  every  nation,  tribe,  and  tongue 
Redeemed  us  by  His  blood ! 

"Blessing  and  honour,  strength  and  power. 
Thanksgiving,  glory,  praise. 
To  God  and  to  the  Lamb  be  giv'u 
Throng  everlasting  days !" 


"PREPARE  TO  MEET  THY   GOD." 

"Prepare  to  meet  thy  God ! 
Attend  the  warning  knell ; 
Forsake  the  broad  and  beaten  road 
That  leads  thee  down  to  hell. 

"Prepare  to  meet  thy  God ! 

The  judgment  thunders  roll ; 
And  storms  of  wrath  fly  all  abroad 
To  whelm  thy  guilty  soul. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  359 

"Prepare  to  meet  thy  God ! 

While  yet  in  Christ  there's  room ; 
Now,  siuner,  let  thy  heart  forebode 
The  day  of  final  doom. 

"Prepare  to  meet  thy  God  ! 
To  Jesus  come  today; 
Haste  to  the  fount  of  Jesus'  blood, 
And  wash  thy  sins  away. 

"Prepare  me,  O  my  God, 
To  end  my  mortal  race. 
To  pass  into  my  last  abode. 
To  stand  before  Thy  face!" 


"THE  SPIRITUAL  CONFLICT." 

*Thy  law,  O  God,  is  pure. 

But  mine's  a  captive's  fate; 
For  what  I  would,  that  do  I  not, 

And  do  the  thing  I  hate. 

'I  know  that  in  my  flesh 

There  dwelleth  no  thing  good ; 

The  will  I  have;  but  find  not  how 
To  do  the  good  I  would. 

'I  find  a  law  that  when 

I'd  serve  Thee,  sin's  at  hand ; 
Yet  in  Thy  law,  O  God,  I  joy 
Within  my  inward  man. 

'Another  law  I  see 

That  wars  again  my  mind, 
And  leads  me  captive  to  the  law 
That  makes  my  members  sin. 

"A  wretched  man  I  am  I 

Who  shall  deliver  me? 
Who  from  the  body  of  this  death 
Shall  set  my  spirit  free? 

"I  thank  Thee,  O  my  God, 

Through  Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord ; 
Through  Him,   I   surely  trust,  Thou  wilt 
Deliverance  afford." 


The  Life  Work  of 

"first  psalm." 

'Blest  is  the  man  who  walketh  not 

In  counsels  of  deceit, 
Nor  in  the  way  of  sinners  stands. 

Nor  fills  the  scorner's  seat. 

'But  ever  in  Jehovah's  law 

He  placeth  his  delight ; 
And  in  his  law  he  meditates, 

Alike  by  day  and  night. 

'In  season  he'll  bear  fruit  like  trees 
By  running  streams  that  stand ; 

His  leaf  ne'er  fades ;  and  all  he  doth 
Shall  prosper  in  his  hand. 

'Not  so  the  wicked :  they're  like  chaff 

The  wind  doth  drive  away  ; 
They  shall  not  in  the  judgment  stand, 

Nor  with  the  righteous  stay. 
'Jehovah  doth  approve  the  way 

Of  those  that  righteous  be ; 
The  way  of  the  ungodly  man 

Sftall  perish  utterly." 


"TWENTY-SEVENTH   PSALM." 

"When  Thou  didst  say.  Seek  ye  My  face. 
My  heart  replied  to  Thee, 
Thy  face,  Jehovah,  will  I  seek ; 
Hide  not  Thy  face  from  me. 

"O  hear  me,  Lord,  when  with  my  voice 
I  unto  Thee  do  cry ; 
Have  mercy  also  upon  me 
And  unto  me  reply. 

"When  father,  mother,  me  forsake 
The  Lord  will  interpose; 
Teach  me  Thy  way.  O  Lord,  and  lead 
Me  straight  through  all  my  foes. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  361 

"Unto  the  wishes  of  my  foes 

Do  not  deliver  me. 
False  witnesses  against  me  rise 
And  breathe  out  cruelty. 

"My  soul  had  fainted,  unless  I 

Had  fully  been  assured 
That  in  the  land  of  life  I'd  see 
The  goodness  of  the  Lord. 

'Wait  patiently  upon  the  Lord, 

And  of  good  courage  be; 
He'll   furnish  strength  unto  thine  heart — 

Wait  on  the  Lord,  I  say." 


"EIGHTY-FOURTH    PSALM." 
"How  lovely  are  thy  dwellings,  Lord, 
My  soul  doth  long  to  see 
Thy  courts :  my  heart  and  flesh  do  cry, 

O  living  God,  for  Thee. 
The  sparrow  lingers  near  Thy  courts. 

The  swallow  there  hath  found 
A  nest  beside  thine  altars.  Lord, 
Where  she  may  lay  her  young. 

"How  blest  are  they  that  in  Thy  house 

A  dwelling-place  have  found; 
And  who  when  earthly  comforts  fail 

Thy  praises  still  shall  sound. 
Blest  is  the  man  whose  strength's  in  Thee; 

Whose  heart  is  on  the  ways 
Of  them  who  pass  through  Baca's  vale, 

And  fill  the  vale  with  praise. 

"From  strength  to  strength  they  go ;  till  each 

In  Zion  shall  appear : 
Hear  Thou  my  prayer,  O  Lord  of  Plosts, 

O  Jacob's  God  give  ear. 
O  God,  our  shield,  behold  tlie  face 

Of  Thine  anointed  King; 
For  in  Thy  courts,  one  day  exceeds 

A  thousand  days  of  sin. 


362  The  Life  Work  of 

"I'd  rather  keep  Thy  door,  my  God, 

Than  with  the  wicked  live; 
Jehovah  is  a  sun  and  shield. 

He'll  grace  and  glory  give. 
For  no  good  thing  will  He  withhold 

From  those  that  upright  be ; 
O  Lord  of  Hosts,  how  blest  the  man 

Who  puts  his  trust  in  Thee." 


"NINETY-FIRST  PSALM." 

'He  who  doth  in  the  secret  place 

Of  the  Most  High  reside. 
Beneath  the  shadow  of  the  Lord 

Almighty  shall  abide. 
Of  God  the  Lord,  I'll  say.  He  is 

My  refuge  and  defence; 
He  is  my  God;  and  I  in  Him 

Will  place  my  confidence. 

'He  surely  will  deliver  thee 

From  out  the  fowler's  snare; 
And  from  the  noisome  pestilence 

He'll  save  thee  by  His  care. 
His  feathers  shall  thy  covering  be. 

Beneath  His  wings  thou'l't  flee; 
His  faithfulness  forever  shall 

Thy  shield  and  buckler  be. 

"Thou  Shalt  not  fear  the  night's  alarms. 

Nor  dart  by  day  that's  thrown. 
Disease  that  in  the  darkness  walks 

Nor  death  that  wastes  at  noon. 
A  thousand  at  thy  side  shall  fall. 

Ten  thousand  e'en  shall  lie 
At  thy  right  hand;  but  unto  Thee 

It  never  shall  come  nigh. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  363 

"Only  with  thine  own  eyes  shalt  thou 

Upon  them  look  and  see 
The  righteous  retribution  of 

The  men  that  wicked  be. 
Because  thou's't  made  my  refuge,  God, 

E'en  the  Most  High  thy  home, 
No  ill  shall  take  thee,  never  plague 

Shall  nigh  thy  dwelling  come. 

"He'll  give  thee  in  His  angel's  charge. 

To  keep  in  all  thy  ways, 
And  lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  on  stones, 

Their  hands  shall  thee  upraise. 
Upon  the  lion  thou  shalt  tread. 

And  on  the  adder's  seat. 
The  dragon  and  the  lion's  young 

Thou'l't  trample  under  feet. 

"Because  He  sets  his  love  on  me, 

I  will  deliver  him ; 
I  will  establish  him  on  high, 

Because  he  knows  my  name. 
Upon  me  he  shall  call,  and  I 

Will  surely  answer  him ; 
With  him  in  trouble  I  will  be, 

I'll  save  and  honour  him." 


•ONE    HUNDRED   AND   THIRTY-FOURTH   PSALM. 

"Behold,  bless  ye  Jehovah,  all 
Ye  servants  of  the  Lord, 
Who  stand  by  night  within  His  house, 
By  night  attend  His  word. 

"Lift  up  your  hands  in  holiness 
Your  praise  to  Him  address; 
The  Lord  that  made  both  heav'n  and  earth 
Thee  out  of  Zion  bless." 


364  The  Life  Work  of 

"one  hundred  and  fiftieth  psalm." 

"Praise  ye  the  Lord.     Sing  praise  to  God, 
Within  Plis  holy  place ; 
And  in  his  firmament  of  power, 
Unto  Him  render  praise. 

"O  praise  Him  for  His  mighty  acts ; 
His  glorious  greatness  praise ; 
Praise  Him  with  sound  of  trumpet  blast; 
With  harp  and  psaltery  praise. 

"Praise  Him  with  timbrel  and  with  pipe; 
With  tuneful  strings  Him  praise ; 
With  organs,  and  on  cymbals  loud — 
On  clashing  cymbals  praise. 

"Let  every  creature  that  hath  breath 
To  utter  forth  His  praise, 
Jehovah's  glory  celebrate; 
Praise  ye  Jehovah;  praise." 

Dr.  Girardeau's  published  books  are,  "Instrumental 
Music  in  the  Public  Worship  of  the  Church,"  pub- 
lished in  1888;  "Calvinism  and  Evangelical  Armin- 
ianism,'^  published  in  1890:  "The  Will  in  Its  Theo- 
logical Eelations,''  published  in  1891 ;  "Discussions  of 
Philosophical  Questions,"  published  in  1900;  "Discus- 
sions of  Theological  Questions,"  published  in  1905; 
and  "Sermons  on  Important  Subjects,"  published  in 
1907. 

His  book  on  "Instrumental  Music  in  the  Public 
Worship  of  the  Church"  is  really  a  testimony"  against 
what  he  regarded  as  a  corruption  of  the  worship  of 
God.  The  book  rests  on  the  principle  that  a  divine 
warrant  is  necessary  for  everything  in  the  faith  and 
practice  of  the  Church,  and  the  argument  is  a  splendid 
piece  of  logical  reasoning.  If  any  one  supposes  that 
this  was  a  mere  vagar}^  of  his,  let  him  remember  that 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  365 

this  was  the  view  of  John  Calvin,  Zwingle,  Gillespie, 
Kiitherford,  Owen,  Thornwell,  Breckenridge,  Dabney, 
Charles  Spurgeon,  and  a  countless  number  of  other 
illustrious  men  of  all  ages  of  the  Church.  It  was  also 
held  by  the  Huguenot,  the  Scotch,  the  Irish,  the  Inde- 
pendent, and  other  reformed  churches.  If  any  one 
thinks  it  easy  to  answer  this  book  let  him  put  his  argu- 
ment in  syllogistic  form  and  he  will  find  that  he  has 
subverted  some  of  the  important  principles  of  Presby- 
terianism,  or  that  he  has  a  non  sequitur. 

The  book  on  "The  Will  in  Its  Theological  Relations" 
is  his  master-piece.  This  book  will  live  because  it 
illuminates  a  problem  that  will  always  live — Free 
Agency  and  Divine  Sovereignty.  It  places  one  hand 
on  the  throat  of  Arminianism  and  the  other  on  the 
throat  of  necessitarianism  and  says  to  them,  "You  are 
equally  wrong — the  truth  lies  between  you."  It  has 
probably  given  the  final  answer  of  the  human  intellect 
to  the  questions,  "How  can  sin  exist  and  God  be  a 
Sovereign?"  And,  "How  could  a  holy  being  become  a 
sinner?" 

In  his  "Discussions  of  Philosophical  and  Theolog- 
ical Questions"  his  analysis  of  Herbert  Spencer's 
Philosophy,  his  treatment  of  the  Inspiration  and 
Authority  of  the  Scriptures,  and  his  discussion  of  the 
doctrine  of  adoption  will  probably  be  regarded  as  his 
best  chapters. 

Some  of  his  best  writings  are  found  in  pamphlets, 
reviews,  and  Church  papers.  These  would  make  a 
small  volume  themselves.  His  articles  in  the  Southern 
Presbyterian  Review  on  the  Diaconate  ought  especially 
to  be  emphasized. 


CHAPTER  XII 


THE  MAN 
By  George  A.  Blackburn,  D.  D. 

Dr.  Girardeau  was  a  remarkable  man  in  every 
respect.  His  figure  was  tall,  straight,  well-propor- 
tioned and  athletic;  his  movements  were  easy  and 
graceful;  his  face  was  strong,  and  his  blue  eyes  could 
beam  with  love  or  flash  with  fire  as  occasion  required ; 
his  A^oice  was  full,  rich  and  sweet;  it  was  said  that 
when  preaching  in  the  early  days  of  his  ministry,  it 
sounded  like  the  notes  of  a  flute;  it  certainly  had 
wonderful  compass;  he  could  make  it  imitate  the  lap- 
ping of  the  water  on  the  beach,  the  roll  of  distant 
thunder,  or  anything  else  for  which  his  high-wrought 
and  splendid  rhetoric  called;  his  gestures,  always 
made  unconsciously,  were  strong  and  impressive  and 
exactly  suited  to  impress  the  thought  that  he  wished  to 
convey. 

In  home  life,  he  was  a  model.  He  gave  his  wife  the 
love  of  his  heart,  and  treated  her  with  that  considera- 
tion that  constituted  the  first  element  of  chivalry  in 
the  old-time  Southern  gentleman.  His  French  blood 
strongly  manifested  itself  in  his  treatment  of  his 
children,  he  delighted  to  pet  and  play  with  them,  and 
his  method  of  dealing  with  them  drew  out  and  culti- 
vated their  emotional  natures.  They  loved  him  pas- 
sionately, and  they  also  reverenced  him,  for  with  them 
his  word  was  law. 

As  a  friend,  he  filled  all  the  ideals  of  the  highest 
standards.     He  gave  his  friends  his  love,  trust,  and 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  367 

loyalty,  expecting  the  same  from  them,  and  when  any 
of  them  disappointed  him  the  wound  was  deep.  He 
probably  never  refused  a  request  from  a  friend  if  it 
were  in  his  power  to  grant  it;  he  certainly  never 
refused  money  to  any  of  them,  nor  would  he  ever  take 
interest  from  them.  When  with  them  there  was  no 
restraint  in  his  manner;  he  delighted  to  joke  them,  and 
could  take  jokes  from  them,  being  always  full  of  life 
and  humor.  His  appreciations  of  friendly  attentions, 
and  his  enjoyment  of  friendly  associations  were  great. 
He  and  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney  did  not  agree  on  every  point 
in  theology*,  nevertheless  they  were  warm  personal 
friends.  They  had  been  chaplains  together  in  the  Con- 
federate army,  they  were  recognized  as  the  two  leading 
theological  teachers  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  in  most  of  their  public  controversies  they 
were  in  harmony.  When,  therefore.  Dr.  Dabney,  him- 
self afflicted  with  blindness,  heard  of  the  partial 
paralysis  of  his  friend,  he  came  to  Columbia  to  visit 
him.  Their  communion  was  sw^eet,  and  in  a  measure 
the  spirit  of  other  days  seemed  to  come  back  on  them. 


*Dr.  Girardeau  left  among  his  papers  one  entitled :  "Points  Upon 
Which  I  Disagree  With  Dr.  Dabney"  :  "Distribution  of  Theology  from 
Source,  Dabney's  Theology,  p.  6.  Space  and  duration,  p.  10.  Possi- 
bility of  an  infinite  series  of  finite  parts,  p.  19.  Identification  of 
Adoption  with  Justification,  p.  627.  Opposition  to  Immediate  Impu- 
tation, p.  341.  Doctrine  as  to  the  Will  (as  inadequate),  p.  120.  Rela- 
tion of  Repentance  to  Faith  as  to  order  of  production,  p.  656.  The 
nature  of  the  Divine  Foreknowledge,  p.  158.  Our  knowledge  of  the 
Infinite,  p.  173.  Adam's  sin  made  certain  by  God's  decree,  p.  214. 
View  as  to  the  standing  of  the  elect  angels,  p.  231.  Arraignment  of 
sub-lapsarianism,  p.  233.  Analysis  of  Reprobation,  Denying  two  Ele- 
ments, p.  239.  Construction  of  the  Wesleyan  doctrine  of  Imputation, 
p.  316.  View  of  Traducianism  (leaning  to  it  at  least),  p.  319.  Advo- 
cacy of  the  private  nature  of  the  first  sin,  p.  311.  Appetite  dependent 
for  awakening  upon  perception,  p.  115.  Inadequate  analysis  of 
responsibility  for  mental  beliefs  (will  included),  p.  423.  Self-determin- 
ation— what,  p.  287.  Witness  of  the  Spirit,  p.  711.  Two  natures  in 
the  believer  denied,  p.  677." 


368  The  Life  Work  of 

On  Sunday,  Dr.  Dabney  preached  to  a  large  congrega- 
tion, in  the  Arsenal  Hill  Church,  on  the  power  of  love. 
The  sermon  was  one  of  extraordinary  power,  and  when 
he  came  in  his  discourse  to  the  love  of  Jesus  for  his 
aged  servants  many  in  the  congregation  were  weeping. 
Dr.  Girardeau  himself  Avas  deeply  moved,  while  the 
hearty  congregational  singing,  unaccompanied  by  any 
instrument  of  music,  seemed  to  greatly  affect  Dr.  Dab- 
ney. When  the  service  was  over  the  two  came  down 
the  aisle  together;  they  were  men  of  imposing  pres- 
ence, each  like  the  son  of  a  king;  their  faces  showed 
the  influence  of  chastening  grace;  their  foreheads 
betokened  the  might  of  the  intellects  behind  them; 
venerable  men !  dignity,  goodness,  and  greatness  sat 
with  ease  and  naturalness  upon  them.  Dr.  Girardeau 
said :  "Doctor,  that  was  a  glorious  sermon  this  morn- 
ing." Dr.  Dabney  replied,  "This  has  been  a  sweet 
service  to  me,  and  this  singing  carries  me  back  to  old 
Tinkling  Spring."  Dr.  Girardeau  said:  "But  what 
will  it  be  in  heaven?"  The  answer  of  Dr.  Dabney  was 
lost  in  the  tramping  of  the  congregation.  And  so, 
blind  and  lame  these  princes  in  Israel  walked  on, 
talking  of  the  past  and  future  worship  of  God.  A 
few  months  after  this  meeting  they  both  joined  the 
general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first  born  in  the 
majestic  worship  of  their  God  and  Saviour. 

He  was  an  unusual  student ;  he  loved  his  books,  and 
would  ordinarily  work  into  the  small  hours  of  the 
morning;  sometimes,  as  he  went  up  to  bed,  he  would 
meet  Mrs.  Girardeau  coming  down  to  begin  the  duties 
of  the  day.  He  made  notes  on  the  margins,  and 
indexed  what  he  wanted  to  remember  on  the  fly  leaves 
of  his  books;  these  notes  show  what  good  use  he  made 
of  his  library  of  more  than  three  thousand  volumes. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  369 

His  scholarship  was  accurate  and  extensive,  he  read 
Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin  and  French  with  ease,  nor  was 
he  unacquainted  with  the  natural  sciences.  He 
delighted  to  think  through  questions,  to  reach  the 
foundation  principles  that  governed  them,  and  get 
their  bearings  on  other  related  subjects.  This  quality 
was  one  of  the  things  that  made  him  pre-eminent  as  a 
teacher  for  it  enabled  him  to  present  whatever  subject 
he  discussed  as  a  whole  so  that  every  part  of  it,  like 
some  great  building,  could  be  seen  at  a  glance. 
"  The  Church  at  large  has  acknowledged  him  as  one 
of  her  greatest  preachers;  he  was  not  only  great 
sometimes,  he  was  always  great.  Congregations  fre- 
quently lost  the  sense  of  time  and  place  under  the  spell 
of  his  eloquence;  often  whole  congregations  would 
be  weeping  under  the  vividness  of  his  emotional  pic- 
tures. On  one  occasion  a  man  was  sitting  near  an  old- 
time  window,  the  sash  of  which  was  raised,  but  being 
slightly  jammed,  was  not  fastened.  The  preacher  was 
setting  forth  the  awe-inspiring  events  of  the  final 
judgment;  just  as  he  described  the  blowing  of  the 
arch-angel's  trumpet,  the  window  sash  dropped  with  a 
loud  "bam!",  the  listener,  terrified,  as  if  he  had  heard 
the  peal  of  doom,  leaped  into  the  air,  and  over  those 
between  him  and  the  aisle,  nor  did  he  stop  until  he 
was  clear  of  the  house.  On  another  occasion,  when 
he  had  among  his  hearers  one  of  the  ablest  and  most 
dignified  ministers  of  the  Southern  Church,  he 
described  the  swine  into  which  the  devils  had  entered 
going  over  the  steep  place  into  the  sea.  As  he  imitated 
the  curl  of  the  tail  on  the  back  of  the  hogs  with  his 
finger  his  friend  and  admirer  broke  into  a  loud  laugh, 
then  rememberinof  where  he  was,  he  hushed  with  a 
snap  of  his  teeth.     His  preaching  produced  a  won- 


370  ■    The  Life  Work  of 

derful  effect  upon  the  negroes.  He  required  them  to 
suppress  all  extravagant  outbursts;  but  sometimes  a 
groan,  a  sob,  a  sigh  or  a  soft  laugh  would  pass  like  a 
wave  over  the  whole  congregation.  The  white  people 
enjoyed  his  preaching  quite  as  much  as  the  negroes, 
while  old  soldiers  say  that  they  can  still  remember  the 
sermons  he  preached  to  them  while  they  were  gathered 
round  the  camp  fires  of  Virginia.  It  was  said  that 
there  were  only  two  men  at  the  great  prison  on  Fort 
Johnston  who  could  instantly  command  the  attention 
of  all  of  the  Confederate  prisoners — the  commandant 
and  Chaplain  Girardeau.  The  author  of  this  chapter 
will  never  forget  the  first  sermon  he  heard  him  preach. 
It  was  from  the  text.  "The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall 
die."  As  he  listened,  he  realized  that  the  apparently 
extravagant  reports  of  his  preaching  had  not  done 
him  justice;  the  sermon  was  profound,  philosophical, 
learned,  beautiful,  eloquent  and  powerful,  and  left 
its  permanent  impression  on  the  hearer,  who  wondered 
then,  and  has  been  wondering  ever  since,  what  it  was 
that  made  his  preaching  so  different  from  that  of 
others. 

In  an  effort  to  find  the  source  of  his  power  some 
things  are  clear.  His  Maker  had  endowed  him  with 
splendid  gifts,  and  Grace  had  added  to  them  rare 
virtues.  His  figure,  voice,  eyes,  gestures  and  graceful 
bearing  were  suited  to  the  orator;  his  great  intellect, 
working  at  white  heat;  his  intense  emotions,  stirred 
into  flame;  his  vivid  imagination  making  his  pictures 
real;  his  calm  judgment,  exquisite  taste  and  wonderful 
magnetism  must  all  be  taken  into  consideration:  so, 
too,  the  careful  preparation  of  what  he  had  to  say, 
his  chaste  language,  his  touching  illustrations,  and  his 
love  and  sympathy  for  men  all  had  their  effect,  but 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  371 

these  are  not  sufficient  to  account  for  his  strange  power. 
Moses  talked  with  God  face  to  face  and  saw  the  hinder 
parts  of  his  glory ;  John,  the  Baptist,  dwelt  in  the  wil- 
derness alone — with  God ;  Paul  saw  Jesus  on  his  medi- 
atorial throne,  entered  the  highest  heaven  and  heard 
things  that  could  not  be  repeated,  and  from  these  cir- 
cumstances we  understand  their  power.  Where  else 
should  we  look  for  the  power  of  this  man?  He  spent 
much  time  over  the  open  pages  of  the  words  of  truth, 
he  was  often  on  his  knees  in  midnight  vigils,  and  some- 
times the  whole  night  was  spent  in  unbroken  prayer, — 
God  heard  him  and  dwelt  with  him,  thus  he  became  "a 
man  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  one 
who  spoke  out  of  the  deep  experiences  of  a  heart  that 
felt  the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  it. 

In  theology,  he  was  a  Sub-lapsarian ;  in  morals,  a 
Puritan ;  and  in  government  a  Presbyterian.  To  him, 
every  word  of  the  Bible  was  the  infallible  word  of  the 
living  God.  Every  thing  that  concerned  the  faith  and 
practice  of  the  Church  was  determined  by  this  word 
of  God  as  interpreted  in  the  light  of  his  regulative 
principle:  "A  divine  warrant  is  necessary  for  every 
thing  in  the  faith  and  practice  of  the  Church."  This 
rule  governed  him  in  all  of  his  thinking  and  in  all  of 
his  conduct. 

His  views  on  prophecy  are  especially  interesting  at 
this  time.  He  believed  that  we  were  in  the  last  part 
of  the  "Times  of  the  Gentiles" ;  that  the  Gentile  period 
would  end  in  a  great  apostacy;  that  this  would  end 
by  the  coming  of  the  Lord  in  a  Spiritual  or  material 
way,  he  was  not  sure  which ;  that  before  this  the  Gos- 
pel would  be  preached  to  all  nations  as  a  witness,  and 
the  Jews  would  return  to  their  own  land. 


372  The  Life  Work  of 

Dr.  W.  S.  Pliimer  Bryan  of  Chicago,  a  student  of 
Dr.  Girardeau,  has  preserved  in  his  notes  a  paper  that 
gives  exactly  his  teaching  on  the  second  coming  of 
Christ.    The  notes,  with  the  paper,  are  as  follows : 

"ESCHATOLOGY. 

"Papers  by  Dr.  Girardeau.  Second  Advent.  Premillenialism 
and  Post-MiUenialism. 
"The  appeal  must  be  to  the  direct  testimony  of  Scripture  and 
not  to  any  antecedent  speculations  of  our  own.  What  saith 
the  liord?  The  consideration  of  the  analogy  of  Scripture,  how- 
ever, is  necessary.  We  are  not  at  liberty  to  interpret  Scrip- 
ture against  Scripture.  In  cases  in  which  particular  passages 
seem  to  be  opposed  to  each  other,  we  must  consult  the  pro- 
portion of  faith.  The  question  must  be  considered.  How  far 
are  we  to  interpret  prophecy  spiritually  and  figuratively ;  how 
far  literally.  Difficult  question.  Prophecy  is  sometimes  pos- 
sessed of  dogmatic  force.  For  example,  the  dogmatic  state- 
ments of  Scripture  in  regard  to  great  events  still  future — the 
Resurrection,  the  Judgment,  etc.,  are  prophecies  by  their  very 
nature ;  at  least  partially  so.  The  doctrine  of  the  first  Advent 
during  the  first  Dispensation  was  equally  a  dogma  and  a 
prophecy.  The  time  of  its  occurrence  was  doubtful,  but  not 
the  event  itself.  It  is  not  clear,  then,  that  the  Second  Advent 
is  at  all  doubtful  as  an  event,  or  as  to  the  circumstances  that 
shall  environ  it,  while  the  time  of  its  occurrence  may  be  pur- 
posely clothed  in  obscurity.  A  distinction  is  conceivable, 
further,  between  the  precise  time  of  its  occurrence  and  its  rela- 
tion in  time  to  other  events.  In  the  latter  aspect,  it  may  be 
fairly  discussed,  while  there  can  be  no  legitimate  discussion 
as  to  the  former,  since  no  revealed  data  are  furnished  on 
which  to  ground  discussion  and  consequently  no  conclusions 
can  be  reached.  Of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  one  but  the 
Father.  It  is  among  the  contents  of  revelation.  The  precise 
time  of  arrival  of  the  descending  Saviour  will  be  unknown  on 
either  the  Premillenial,  or  the  Post-millenial  hypothesis.  There 
are  differences  as  to  details  among  both  the  parties  to  this 
controversy.  Neither  class  as  a  class  is  free  from  inconsis- 
tencies of  views.  Unless,  then,  it  can  be  proved  that  the  incon- 
sistencies of  one  class  make  their  system  logically  self-destruc- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  373 

tive,  while  that  is  not  true  of  the  other,  the  appeal  of  this 
want  of  harmony  by  either  party  is  captious  and  irrelevant. 
The  peculiar  nature  of  the  subject  makes  it  necessary  that 
one  should  guard  himself  against  the  danger  of  making  it  a 
hobby.  What!  The  relative  importance  of  the  Priestly  and 
Kingly  functions  of  Christ.  The  former  constitute  the  great 
theme  of  the  preacher — Christ  crucified.  If  we  are  to  magnify 
any  one  department  of  revealed  truth,  above  others,  let  it  be 
that  which  is  concerned  about  atonement,  the  way  of  Life  to 
perishing  sinner.  But  surely  the  Kingly  office  of  Christ  is  also 
to  be  treated  as  important.  Wisdom  in  dealing  with  these 
subjects  according  to  the  analogy  of  Scripture.  Danger  of 
overlooking  Death  and  Heaven  in  their  relation  to  the  indi- 
vidual in  treating  of  the  Millennium  and  the  Second  Personal 
Advent  in  their  relation  to  the  Church  as  a  whole,  and  to  the 
world.  The  Preacher  immediately  in  contact  with  individuals 
— primarily.  Consult  Scripture  as  to  this  matter.  At  the 
same  time  the  duty  to  hold  up  the  Second  Personal  Advent  as 
the  hope  of  the  Church,  and  as  the  consummation  of  the  hopes 
of  the  individual.  Tlic  Millennium.  There  will  be  a  definite 
period  (it  may  be  a  dispensation  of  the  New  Testament  econ- 
omy) which  will  be  marked  off  from  the  present  by  peculiar 
and  characteristic.  1.  The  extension  of  the  devil.  2.  The  gen- 
eral effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  3.  The  reign  of  Christ  mani- 
fested in  some  visible  and  glorious  manner;  and  the  complete 
subjection  of  the  world-powers  to  His  rule.  4.  The  universal 
prevalence  of  peace — the  cessation  of  war.  5.  The  literal 
restoration  of  the  Jews  to  their  own  land.  6.  The  first  resur- 
rection (whatever  it  will  be).  7.  A  paradisaical  condition  of 
the  earth,  succeeding  great  physical  changes. 


374 


The  Life  Work  of 


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John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  375 

"If  the  question  be,  whether  Christ  will  come  to  introduce  the 
Millennium  I  would  answer,  Yes,  certainly,  in  the  second  of  these 
specific  senses,  as  developed  through  the  Church,  nations  and 
polities.  Destruction  of  the  world-powers,  whether  in  the  Church 
or  out  of  it,  so  far  as  their  anti-Christian  elements  are  concerned. 
If  the  question  be,  whether  Christ  will  come  in  His  second  glori- 
ous Personal  Advent  to  introduce  the  Millennium,  I  would 
answer :  I  do  not  certainly  know.  The  likelihood  is  that  it  was 
not  intended  that  we  should  know.  Of  that  day  and  hour 
knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  angels,  nor  the  Son  of  Man  Himself 
as  the  Commissioned  revealer  of  God's  will  to  men.  It  is  not  ai 
matter  of  revelation.  How,  then,  can  we  know?  I  am  disposed 
to  think  that  the  times  of  prophecy  have  reference  mainly  to  the 
first  of  the  above  mentioned  senses  of  the  term  Coming  of  the 
Lord  and  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  as  applicable  to  polities.  1. 
Upon  this  question,  the  first  thing  to  be  settled  obviously  is  the 
sense  in  which  the  terms  ComA/ng  of  the  Lord  and  Coming  of 
the  Son  of  Man  are  employed  in  Scripture;  and  upon  that 
point  I  am  satisfied  that  many  Post-Millenialists  (as  Dr.  David 
Brown,  for  example)  have  conceded  too  must  as  all  pre-millen- 
ialists  demand  too  much — viz.,  in  the  latter  case  that  the  terms 
be  rigidly  limited  to  the  Second  Personal  Advent.  President 
Edwards'  view,  I  hold  to  be  the  true  Scriptural  one,  as  may 
be  established  by  a  fair  induction  of  particular  declarations  of 
the  New  Testament.  2.  The  second  thing  to  be  determined  is 
the  future  fact  of  a  Millennium  marked  off  as  a  clistinct  period 
from  preceding  ones  by  peculiar  and  characteristic  features. 
Also  how  far  it  may  be  considered  as  constituting  a  New  Dis- 
pensation. The  Mosaic  Dispensation  was  distinct  from  the 
Patriarchal,  but  was  not  introduced  by  the  visible  personal 
advent  of  Christ.  His  first  Advent  in  that  sense  was  to  intro- 
duce the  Christian  dispensation.  This  fact  deserves  to  be  noted 
and  may  have  regulative  influence  in  settling  the  question  sig- 
nalized under  this  second  head.  3.  If  there  will  be  a  Millen- 
nium in  what  sense  Christ  will  come  to  introduce  it,  whether 
in  the  first  or  second  of  the  specific  senses  signalized  above. 
(1)  I  believe  there  will  be  a  Millennium  distinguished  by 
peculiar  and  characteristic  elements.  (What  are  they?)  (2) 
I  believe  also  that  Christ  will  come  to  introduce  it.  (3)  That 
is  perfectly  conceivable  that  His  coming  will  be  in  the  sec- 
ondary and  subordinate  sense — it  may  be  in  that  sense.     The 


376  The  Life  Work  of 

sense  is  Scriptural.  (4)  That  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  prove 
that  His  coming  will  be  in  the  higher  sense  of  the  Second  Per- 
sonal Advent.  The  difficulty  lies  in  ascertaining  which  class 
of  Scripture  passages  preponderates — that  apparently  favoring, 
or  that  apparently  opposing  it. 

''■The  Final  Assault  Upon  the  Church.  The  view  has  been  sug- 
gested by  Dr.  Breckinridge  and  some  others,  that  the  last 
assault  upon  the  Church,  by  the  multitudes  represented  under 
the  names  of  Gog  and  Magog,  will  be  made  by  the  wicked 
after  their  resurrection  under  the  lead  of  the  devil.  The  idea 
is  appalling;  but  it  does  not  strike  me  as  having  sufficient 
ground  of  probability.  The  Scripture  is  not  very  explicit  upon 
the  subject,  but  there  is  one  passage  which  seems  to  be  adverse 
to  the  above-mentioned  view.  'The  last  enemy  that  shall  be 
destroyed  is  death.'  But,  according  to  the  hypothesis  men- 
tioned, the  wicked  will  take  the  aggressive  as  enemies  of  the 
saints  after  the  destruction  of  death  as  the  last  enemy  of  the 
latter.  For  the  saints  shall  be  raised  before  the  wicked.  'The 
dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first.'  Supposing,  however,  that  these 
words  have  sole  reference  to  the  order  in  which  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead  saints  and  the  transfiguration  of  living  saints 
shall  occur,  and  that  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked  will  be  synchronous;  still,  we  must  admit  that  death 
wall  have  then  destroyed  as  the  last  enemy  of  the  saints  before 
the  attack  upon  them  of  the  raised  wicked  could  take  place. 
The  last  enemy  to  be  destroyed,  accordingly,  would  not  be 
death,  but  the  devil  and  the  massed  wicked  raised  from  the 
grave.  But  that  contradicts  the  express  declaration  that  death 
will  be  the  last  enemy  of  the  saints,  whose  opposition  it  will 
be  necessary  for  Christ  to  subdue." 

During  his  later  days  he  leaned  clearly  to  the  Spirit- 
ual coming  of  Christ  to  introduce  the  millennium. 

In  1886  the  Second,  now  the  Arsenal  Hill  Presby- 
terian Church,  was  organized  in  Columbia,  S.  C.  Dr. 
Girardeau,  having  felt  constrained  to  leave  his  chair 
in  the  Theological  Seminary  by  reason  of  his  opposi- 
tion to  the  views  of  Dr.  Woodrow  on  the  subject  of 
Evolution,  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  this  church. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  377 

He  agreed  to  accept  the  call  provided  the  church 
would  accept  his  views  on  instrumental  music  in  the 
public  worship  of  the  church,  would  allow  the  deacons 
to  serve  at  the  communion  table  with  the  elders,  and 
would  not  allow  its  members  to  attend  theatres  or  take 
part  in  dances  and  card  parties.  To  these  conditions 
the  congregation  assented,  and  he  became  their  pastor. 
After  a  year  changed  conditions  opened  the  way  for 
him  to  return  to  the  Seminary,  and  he  gave  up  his 
pastorate  of  this  church,  which  he  used  to  say  was 
dearer  to  him  than  even  Glebe  Street  had  been.  His 
son-in-law,  the  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Blackburn,  succeeded  him 
as  pastor,  and  arranged  for  him  to  continue  preaching 
in  the  church  every  Sabbath  afternoon.  This  he  con- 
tinued to  do  until  his  health  failed.  To  the  end,  large 
congTegations  of  all  denominations  attended  these 
services. 

Dr.  Girardeau  held  that  professors,  under  ordinary 
conditions,  ought  to  retire  from  the  Seminary  at 
seventy  years  of  age;  so  when  he  reached  that  age 
he  offered  his  resignation  and  insisted  on  its  accept- 
ance against  the  protests  and  intreaties  of  his  brethren. 

He  retired  from  the  Seminary  in  the  spring  of  1895. 
The  following  fall  a  slight  apoplexy  left  him  partially 
paralyzed  on  one  side.  Thus  broken  in  health  he  con- 
tinued until  June  the  23d,  1898,  when  death  opened 
the  portals  that  admitted  him  into  the  kingdom  of 
joyful  life.  His  end  was  peaceful.  In  the  dimly 
lighted  room,  surrounded  by  his  weeping  family,  and 
attended  by  his  loving  physician.  Dr.  Benjamin  F. 
Wyman,  he  quietly  ceased  to  breathe  and  his  soul  with- 
drew from  its  tabernacle  of  clay  to  abide  with  Jesus 
until  the  resurrection  morning.  There  was  no  rustling 
of    wings,    nor    sound    of    heavenl}^    music;    no    soft 


378  The  Life  Work  of 

etherial  light,  nor  sense  of  mystic  visitors;  yet,  angelic 
guards  were  there  to  guide  his  conscious  soul,  through 
air  and  ether,  by  moons  and  suns  and  stars,  along 
the  highway  of  the  universe  that  had  been  beaten 
for  centuries  by  the  swift  passing  heroes,  martyrs, 
and  saints,  with  their  spirit  attendants,  to  the  capital 
of  the  Great  King.  How  long  would  it  take  him  to 
pass  through  the  intermediate  space,  and  stand  at  the 
portal  of  the  gold-paved  city  of  palaces,  walled  with 
its  priceless  stones  and  lighted  with  its  halo  of  glory? 
What  Avould  be  the  impression  on  this  master  of 
assemblies,  who  had  described  the  beauties  of  this 
"Jerusalem,  the  Golden"  as  few  others  had  ever  done, 
when  his  vision  swept  its  splendors  and  his  conscious- 
ness drank  m  its  indescribable  loveliness?  No  wonder 
the  tears  ceased  to  flow  in  the  desire  to  see  him 
approach  the  throne  of  His  Majesty,  the  Savior  he 
had  loved  and  worshipped  with  such  passionate  devo- 
tion; to  see  them  meet,  face  to  face;  the  faithful  ser- 
vant, the  matchless  Master;  to  hear  the  words  of  wel- 
come— what  were  they,  and  what  did  he  answer? 

His  funeral  services  were  conducted  in  the  Arsenal 
Hill  Church  by  Dr.  J.  R.  Howerton,  his  student  and 
friend,  and  he  was  buried  in  Elmwood  Cemetery  near 
where  the  dust  of  his  beloved  teacher.  James  Henry 
Thornwell,  lies.  On  his  tombstone  is  the  following 
inscription : 

"JOHN  L.  GIRARDEAU 

Born 
Nov.  14th,  1825 

Died 

June  23,  1898. 

After  he  had  patiently  endured, 

he  obtained  the  promise.     Heb.  6 :15." 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  379 

The  Charleston  Presbytery  adopted  the  memorial  of 
him  prepared  by  the  Rev.  F.  L.  Leeper.  The  Presby- 
tery's minute  is  as  follows : 

"Memorial  Services  of  the  Late  Eev.  John  L. 
Girardeau. 

8  o'clock  P.  M. 
"Agreable  to   a  special  order,  Presbytery  met   and 
entered  upon  the  memorial  service  of  the  late  Rev. 
John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

"Rev.  F.  L.  Leeper,  Chairman  of  the  Memorial  Com- 
mittee, read  the  following  paper : 

"  'The  Rev.  John  Lafayette  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  was  born  on 
James  Island,  in  Charleston  County,  S.  C,  on  November  the 
14th,  1825,  A.  D.  He  graduated  from  Charleston  College  in 
1844,  and  from  the  Columbia  Theological  Seminary  in  1848. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Charleston  Presbytery  in  the 
same  year,  and  labored  for  a  short  time  in  the  Wappetaw 
Church.  Not  long  after  entering  into  the  ministry  he  was 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  Wilton  Church,  near  Adam's  Run, 
in  Colleton  County,  then  a  wealthy  and  influential  congrega- 
tion. He  was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry  and 
installed  pastor  of  this  church  in  1850.  In  1854,  he  was  called 
to  take  charge  of  Zion  Church,  in  the  city  of  Charleston.  This 
church  had  been  established  by  pious  Presbyterian  masters  for 
the  special  benefit  of  their  slaves.  He  continued  in  this  work 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  in  1861.  The  Lord 
largely  owned  and  blessed  his  work  among  this  people,  and  to 
his  dying  day  he  cherished  the  memories  of  this  pastorate 
as  among  the  most  prized  of  his  life.  Here,  Sabbath  after 
Sabbath,  was  presented  the  novel  sight  of  a  large  church  build- 
ing filled  with  negroes,  while  in  the  surrounding  galleries  sat 
their  white  masters  and  mistresses,  all  eagerly  listening  to  the 
words  of  life  from  this  gifted  man  of  God.  During  his  pas- 
torate of  this  church,  then  occurred,  in  1857,  the  most  remark- 
able revival  of  religion  known  in  the  history  of  the  city  or  State. 
For  weeks  he  gathered  his  congregation  nightly  to  pray  for  an 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost.     In  these  services  there  was  no 


380  The  Life  Wokk  of 

preaching,  but  they  were  prayer-meetings  only,  and  the  effort 
of  the  pastor  was  to  have  all  the  prayers  concentrated  upon 
the  outpourings  of  the  Spirit  as  the  special  gift  of  the  ascended 
Lord  and  Mediatorial  King  of  the  Church.  The  congregations, 
like  those  of  prayer-meetings,  usually,  were  not  large,  at  the 
beginning,  but  were  composed  of  the  earnestly  pious  of  the 
church,  and  steadily  grew  until  at  the  close  of  these  meetings 
the  house  was  well  filled.  One  night,  while  all  were  buried  in 
prayer,  there  suddenly  came  upon  all  present  an  inexpressible 
feeling  of  awe,  hushing  even  the  voice  of  prayer,  and  causing 
a  profound  silence.  After  some  seconds  this  silence  was 
broken  by  sobs  all  over  the  house.  When  this  feeling  had  some- 
what subsided,  the  pastor  rose  from  his  knees,  announced 
preaching  for  the  next  night,  and  dismissed  the  congregation, 
which  quietly  dispersed.*  The  next  night  as  the  pastor 
approached  the  church,  he  was  surprised  to  find  the  street 
filled  to  a  considerable  distance  with  a  crowd  of  people,  eagerly 
pressing  to  get  into  the  building.  Working  his  way  with  difii- 
culty  through  this  crowd,  he  entered  the  church,  and  found 
every  available  inch  of  space  already  occupied  by  a  congrega- 
tion of  both  negroes  and  whites.  For  weeks  these  services  con- 
tinued, marked  throughout  with  wonderful  manifestations  of 
the  Spirit's  presence  and  power.  Hundreds  of  both  races  were, 
during  these  meetings,  happily  converted  to  God,  and  from  these 
came  many,  who  as  ministers,  officers  and  private  members, 
have  blessed  and  refreshed  the  Church  in  all  her  borders. 

"  'When  in  1861  the  war  broke  forth  between  the  North  and 
South,  Dr.  Girardeau,  an  earnest  and  enthusiastic  Southerner, 
entered  the  army  as  Chaplain  of  the  23rd  regiment,  S.  C.  volun- 
teers, and  continued  with  them  until  the  close  of  the  war.  His 
faithfulness  to  duty  and  undaunted  courage  are  beautifully 
illustrated  by  an  incident  told  by  one  of  the  members  of  this 
regiment.  "On  one  occasion  Dr.  Girardeau  was  conducting  ser- 
vices just  before  a  battle.  The  men  were  in  the  trenches, 
while  he  stood  on  the  level  ground  just  behind  them.  During 
the  prayer  the  enemy  opened  upon  them  with  their  artillery. 
In  the  midst  of  falling  shot  and  bursting  shells,  he  continued 
his  prayer  to  the  end,  apparently  as  calmly  as  if  he  had  been 
in  his  church  at  home." 


*The  congregation  did  not  disperse  until  after  another  service. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  381 

"  'Returning  home  after  the  war,  he  became  pastor  of  Zion 
Glebe  Street  Church,  in  the  city  of  Charleston.  For  years  after 
the  war,  the  old  Zion  Colored  Church  was  a  part  of  the  pas- 
torate of  Zion  Glebe  Street,  and  each  Sabbath  he  preached  once 
in  the  white  church  and  once  in  the  negro  church.  As  pastor 
of  Zion  Glebe  Street  he  built  up  a  large  congregation,  and  so 
trained  them  in  religious  truth  that  it  became  a  model  Presby- 
terian Church,  noted  for  its  high  standard  of  piety,  its  zeal  in 
mission  work,  and  its  large  liberality.  For  years  the  regular 
contributions  of  this  church  for  outside  causes  of  benevolence 
more  than  doubled  what  they  expended  upon  themselves. 

"  'In  1876  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Theology  in  the  Colum- 
bia Seminary.  This  election  cost  him  months  of  anxious 
thought  and  prayer.  The  Seminary  had  been  torn  and  rent  by 
internal  discord,  and  sorely  needed  the  help  of  its  strongest 
friends.  He  loved  it  as  the  institution  where  he  had  received 
his  own  training,  and  as  belonging  to  his  native  State,  with  all 
the  intensity  of  his  ardent  nature.  The  natural  bent  of  his 
mind  and  the  labor  of  his  life  were  to  the  study  of  Systematic 
Theology.  He  had  the  natural  gifts  of  a  teacher  and  was 
peculiarly  fitted  for  the  place.  His  election  had  been  unani- 
mous and  enthusiastic.  His  friends  were  urgent  in  pressing 
him  to  accept  the  position,  as  the  only  means  of  saving  the 
Seminary.  Yet  in  the  face  of  all  this  he  hesitated  for  months 
in  agony  of  mind  and  heart.  A  short  time  before  his  election 
a  controversy  occurred  in  the  Seminary  between  the  body  of 
students  and  the  Professors.  This  controversy  was  carried  to 
the  General  Assembly  for  final  settlement.  Dr.  Girardeau  had 
earnestly  espoused  the  side  of  the  Professors  as  representing 
lawful  authority.  The  Assembly,  however,  decided  in  favor  of 
the  students,  and  several  of  the  Professors  resigned  in  conse- 
quence of  this  action.  One  of  these  was  Dr.  John  B.  Adger, 
who  had  been  a  close  and  life-long  friend  of  Dr.  Girardeau. 
The  question  over  which  he  prayed  and  agonized  was.  What 
did  honor  and  faithfulness  to  these,  who  in  solemn  protest  to 
what  he  and  they  believed  a  wrong,  had  resigned  from  honor- 
able positions  in  this  institution,  demand  of  him?  Only  when 
honestly  holding  himself  at  Christ's  judgment  seat,  his  con- 
science became  clear  in  its  judgment  that  in  accepting  the  posi- 
tion he  was  guilty  of  no  unfaithfulness  to  these,  his  friends, 
nor  of  inconsistency  with  his  own  avowed  principles,  did  he 


382  The  Life  Work  of 

consent  to  accept.  In  the  fall  of  1876,  he  entered  upon  his 
duties  as  a  Professor.  As  a  teacher  he  fully  met  the  expecta- 
tions of  his  friends.  He  was  laborious  and  painstaking  in  his 
preparation,  and  enthusiastic  in  his  teaching.  He  inspired  his 
students  in  a  large  measure  with  the  same  elements.  A  law 
of  the  Seminary  fixed  seventy  years  as  an  age  limit,  at  which 
all  professors  cease  by  virtue  of  age  to  be  professors,  and  can 
be  continued  in  their  chairs  only  by  a  yearly-re-election.  Dr. 
Girardeau  was  not  willing  to  subject  himself  to  this  constantly 
recurring  re-election.  So  in  1894,  as  he  approached  the  age  of 
seventy,  he  gave  notice  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  as  required 
by  the  Constitution  of  the  Seminary,  that  he  would  resign  his 
position  with  the  close  of  the  session  in  1895. 

"  'Early  in  the  winter  of  1895,  he  was  taken  sick,  and  from 
this  he  never  fully  recovered.  He  lingered,  physically  a  feeble 
and  broken  man,  until  the  23d  of  June,  1898,  when,  surrounded 
by  his  heart-broken  family  and  friends,  he  gently  and  quietly 
fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  in  the  full  hope  of  a  blessed  entrance  into 
his  Lord's  presence,  and  of  a  glorious  resurrection. 

"  'Such  are  the  brief  outlines  of  a  life  of  large  gifts,  of  intense 
piety,  and  of  great  usefulness. 

"  'As  a  man.  Dr.  Girardeau  was  gifted  with  large  and  quick 
mental  powers.  But  in  his  judgment,  these  were  only  tools 
with  which  to  do  life's  work  only  as  they  were  brought  to 
highest  possible  perfection,  and  kept  in  best  working  order. 
So  he  was  careful  to  train  and  keep  disciplined  his  mind  by 
close  and  hard  study.  Years  of  careful  training  of  his  reason- 
ing powers  made  him  a  close  and  logical  thinker.  Turning 
his  mind  to  any  subject,  he  was  able  to  pursue  it  through  its 
many  windings  and  varied  relations,  dividing  and  sub-dividing 
it  by  a  close  analysis,  until  he  became  master  of  it.  In  his 
work  he  had  no  need  of  pen  or  paper,  but  so  thoroughly  had 
he  trained  his  mind  to  do  its  work,  that  fixing  his  eye  upon  a 
certain  spot  on  the  floor,  he  could  hold  it  steadily  on  one  sub- 
ject for  hours,  until  he  had  thoroughly  thought  it  out.  He  had 
also  a  vivid  and  carefully  trained  imagination,  which  enabled 
him  to  take  the  subject  which  he  had  torn  to  pieces  by  his 
analj'sis  and  rebuild  it  into  a  living  theme. 

"  'It  was  the  combination  of  these  two  powers  that  made  him 
the  orator  that  he  was — instructive  and  pleasing  at  one  and 
the  same  time.     Behind  these  were  the  fires  of  an  intensely 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  883 

passionate  nature.  He  inherited  all  the  warmth,  and  quick, 
strong  passions  of  his  Huguenot  ancestors.  He  owed  much  to 
grace  in  both  curbing  and  chastening  this  passionate  nature, 
and  himself  often  gladly  acknowledged  the  debt.  It  was,  how- 
ever, exactly  this  passionate  nature  that  drove  him  forward  in 
all  his  work  with  such  intense  and  continued  energy;  that 
made  his  mind  work  at  white  heat  when  turned  to  any  subject 
that  he  loved;  and  caused  his  words  to  come  forth  burning 
w^ords,  that  set  his  hearers  all  aflame,  and  made  him  a  master 
of  Assemblies. 

"  'These  gifts  of  nature  made  him  to  be  an  earnest  man  of 
large  powers  that  would  have  lifted  him  into  leadership  in 
any  calling  of  life.  When  converted  and  brought  to  yield  him- 
self to  Christ,  this  very  earnestness  of  nature  made  the  con- 
secration complete.  As  a  Christian  he  was  both  earnest  and 
enthusiastic.  His  religious  life  gathered  into  itself  every 
power  of  his  being  and  the  things  of  eternity,  in  his  faith, 
became  living  forces  of  the  present,  inspiring  in  his  heart 
motives  of  actions  and  determining  the  form  into  which  char- 
acter was  to  be  moulded.  Under  the  intensity  of  his  religious 
life,  he  became  in  its  highest  and  best  sense  a  man  of  one  idea, 
and  largely  wrought  into  his  life  the  motto  of  the  Apostle,  "This 
one  thing  I  do." 

"  'To  him,  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  the  one 
thing  in  this  world  that  was  worth  knowing.  An  earnest  and 
diligent  student,  often  turning  night  into  day  by  his  long  con- 
tinued labors,  it  was  the  Gospel  alone  that  engaged  his  energies 
and  absorbed  his  thoughts.  Even  when  his  mind  was  turned 
to  other  fields  of  thought,  it  was  still  this  one  idea  that  con- 
stantly and  consciously  controlled  him.  In  the  fields  of  science, 
of  philosophy  and  of  literature,  he  was  ever  seeking  for 
clearer  ideas,  and  better  illustrations  of  the  one  Gospel  of  God; 
and  for  the  best  words  and  forms  in  which  to  tell  unto  his  fel- 
low-men "The  old,  old  story  of  Jesus  and  His  love." 

"  'Another  marked  element  in  his  religious  life  was  his  deep 
and  earnest  humility.  While  conscious  of  his  gifts  and  powers, 
and  rejoicing  in  the  possession  of  them  as  means  with  which 
to  do  his  Master's  work  and  his  fellows'  service,  he  yet  realized 
that  as  spiritual  forces  they  were  the  things  that  are  not,  and 
had  to  be  chosen  of  God  and  filled  with  His  Spirit  before  they 
could  accomplish  anything  for  God  or  man.     Therefore,   the 


384  The  Life  Work  or 

glory  of  all  real  achievements  in  his  work  he  recognized  as 
belonging  to  God  and  not  to  him. 

"  'He  had  a  deep  and  abiding  sense  of  sin  and  utter  emptiness 
in  himself.  To  him,  Jesus  Christ  himself  was  a  real,  living 
and  personal  friend,  able  and  willing  to  meet  all  his  wants. 
His  faith,  therefore,  was  a  personal  love  to  Jesus  himself,  and 
a  constant  effort  to  realize  his  presence  and  approval.  This 
made  him  to  be  a  man  of  prayer.  So  by  this  daily  communion 
with  his  Lord,  he  was  continually  measuring  himself,  not  by 
any  comparison  with  his  fellows,  but  with  his  Lord,  and  so 
there  was  ever  present  with  him  the  feeling,  "I  have  not  already 
attained,  neither  yet  am  I  perfect."  This  deep  sense  of  sin 
and  unworthiness  largely  moulded  even  his  public  prayers,  and 
made  them  to  ring  with  earnest  confessions  of  sin  and  tender 
pleadings  for  mercy.  Living  in  the  presence  of  Christ,  he 
learned  to  know  the  worth  of  the  truth,  and  to  be  eager  to 
get  it,  no  matter  whose  the  tongue  that  uttered  it.  He  would 
listen  with  profound  respect  to  the  humblest  negroes,  and  cheer- 
fully acknowledged  that  from  them  he  had  often  learned  some 
of  the  profoundest  and  most  important  lessons  of  the  Christian 
life. 

"  'He  had  a  deep  love  for  and  a  ready  sympathy  with  his 
brethren  of  the  ministry,  and  was  always  quick  to  recognize 
and  appreciate  their  gifts.  In  a  close,  friendly  intercourse  of 
twenty-eight  years,  unbroken  by  a  single  jar  or  misunder- 
standing, I  never  heard  him  criticise  adversely  a  brother 
preacher  or  his  sermon,  unless  the  sermon  contained,  what  he 
believed  to  be,  fundamental  error,  and  then  his  criticism  would 
be  severe  as  against  the  thing  taught  rather  than  against  the 
teacher.  Amid  the  bitterest  controversies,  it  was  seldom  that 
he  allowed  himself,  even  among  his  closest  friends,  to  give  any 
expression  to  his  judgment  against  his  opponents  personally, 
and  when  betrayed  into  doing  so,  he  would  repent  of  it  bit- 
terly, as  under  the  sense  of  a  great  wrong  done. 

"  'His  religious  life  was  full  of  sunshine,  making  him  to  be 
habitually  cheerful.  He  was  genial  in  his  nature  and  loved 
companionship.  When  among  friends,  and  especially  when 
with  his  brethren,  he  enjoyed  their  society  with  almost  a  child- 
hood zest. 

"  'He  was  a  positive  man  in  his  convictions,  and  having  once 
reached  a  conclusion  of  faith,  it  became  to  him  a  settled  ques- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  385 

tion  from  which  nothing  could  turn  him.  At  the  same  time, 
he  was  a  man  of  broad  charity.  He  loved  his  own  household 
of  faith  intensely,  yet  his  sympathies  went  forth  freely  to 
brethren  of  other  denominations,  and  he  was  always  willing 
to  labor  for  or  with  these  as  opportunity  offered. 

"  'As  a  preacher,  he  was  careful  and  painstaking.  In  his  judg- 
ment, preaching  was  tremendously  solemn.  He  believed  that 
in  every  congregation,  and  under  every  sermon,  men  were 
actually  settling  questions  of  life  and  deatli,  and  dealing  with 
issue  of  time  and  eternity.  Preaching  was,  therefore,  to  him 
serious  work.  He  gave  to  it  the  most  careful  and  laborious 
preparation  of  both  mind  and  heart.  He  wrote  but  few  of 
his  sermons,  and  yet  in  the  strict  sense  he  was  no  extempo- 
raneous preacher.  He  carefully  thought  out  his  sermons  even 
in  minute  detail,  and  he  trained  his  memory  to  hold  them,  and 
to  reproduce  in  the  pulpit  the  work  of  the  study.  A  vivid 
imagination  gave  intensity  of  life  to  his  preaching,  and  made 
even  the  discussion  of  the  most  abstruse  doctrine  intensely 
interesting  to  his  hearers. 

"  'As  a  pastor,  Dr.  Girardeau  was  faithful  and  tender.  He 
was  a  hard  student  and  loved  the  seclusion  of  his  study.  He 
was,  therefore,  not  given  to  much  visiting  for  the  mere  sake 
of  visiting.  When  his  people  were  in  health  and  free  from 
trouble,  he  visited  but  little  among  them,  believing  that  he  was 
best  serving  them  in  his  study,  making  the  more  thorough 
preparation  for  the  Sabbath.  But  the  moment  sickness  or  sor- 
row came  to  any  of  them,  his  whole  heart  was  enlisted  for 
them,  and,  putting  everything  else  aside,  he  gave  himself 
wholly  to  the  effort  to  help  and  comfort  them.  In  the  sick 
room  or  home  of  sorrow,  his  voice  would  become  as  tender  in 
its  tones  as  that  of  a  mother  dealing  with  a  hurt  child,  and 
his  prayers  were  earnest  and  impressive.  In  dealing  with 
men's  consciences,  while  always  tender,  he  was  exceedingly 
faithful.  He  had  a  great  horror  of  leading  a  soul  to  rest  in 
false  hopes,  or  in  mere  shallow  experiences  of  grace.  In  receiv- 
ing members  into  the  church,  while  confining  himself  to  ques- 
tions of  experimental  religion,  he  still  made  his  examination 
close  and  thorough.  In  his  judgment  the  adding  of  a  member 
to  his  church  was  a  small  matter;  but  the  uniting  of  a  soul 
to  Christ  the  greatest  event  in  the  world. 


386  The  Life  Work  of 

"  'As  a  presbyter,  he  was  both  faithful  and  efficient.  He  was 
a  Presbyterian  from  conviction,  and  believed  that  the  courts 
of  the  Church  were  ordained  of  Christ.  Attendance  upon  these 
was,  therefore,  a  question  of  obedience  to  his  Lord,  who  had 
made  him  to  be  a  bishop  in  his  house.  Only  the  most  serious 
providence  could  keep  him  from  attending  upon  their  sessions. 
And  when  in  attendance  he  gave  himself  wholly  to  the  busi- 
ness there  to  be  transacted.  His  ordinary  rule  was  to  be  pres- 
ent at  the  opening  and  closing  services.  He  was  a  courteous, 
yet  an  earnest  debater,  contending  for  what  he  believed  to  be 
right  and  for  the  best  interest  of  the  Church,  regardless  of 
what  the  consequences  to  himself  might  be.  All  questions 
relating  to  the  Church's  welfare,  in  his  eyes,  were  important. 
He  believed  the  Church  to  be  the  real  kingdom  of  God.  That 
upon  the  actual  coming  of  this  kingdom  into  the  real  expe- 
riences of  this  world,  depended  all  sure  hope  for  the  righting 
of  all  wrongs ;  the  breaking  of  all  rods  of  oppression ;  the  pun- 
ishing of  all  iniquity;  and  the  rewarding  of  all  righteousness. 
That  the  coming  of  this  kingdom  to  the  full  fruition  of  its 
appointed  glory  was  the  only  possible  hope  for  peace  and  hap- 
piness to  this  earth.  He,  therefore,  took  an  intense  interest 
in  every  Church  question,  whether  it  related  to  some  feeble 
congregation  in  some  dark  corner,  or  to  the  Church  at  large. 

"  'In  all  departments  of  his  ministry  he  worked  as  one  that 
realized  that  he  must  give  an  account  to  his  Lord.  His  aim 
was  to  keep  himself  in  constant  expectation  of  that  Lord's 
coming,  and  to  be  always  ready.  All  the  years  of  his  minis- 
terial life  were  spent  in  his  native  State,  and  as  a  member  of 
Charleston  Presbytery,  by  which  he  was  licensed  and  ordained. 
Into  the  history  of  this  Presbytery  the  energies,  prayers  and 
faith  of  this  man  of  God  were  largely  wrought.  Today  we 
miss  from  our  assemblings  his  cheerful  face,  his  wise  coun- 
sels, his  earnest  devotion  to  duty,  and  his  tender  and  hopeful 
prayers.  We  stand  with  bowed  heads  and  sad  hearts  as  we 
lay  our  tribute  of  love  in  his  vacant  place,  and  realize  that 
these  places  which  once  knew  him  so  well,  shall  now  know  him 
no  more  forever.  Earnestly  we  pray  the  Lord  that  the  mantle 
of  the  fast  departing  fathers,  the  Dabney,  the  Hodge,  the 
Adger,  and  the  Girardeau,  may  fall  upon  the  younger  sons  of 
the  Church,  and  that  the  high  ideal  of  a  ministry  maintained 
by  these,  may  ever  prevail  in  our  beloved  Southern  Church. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D,  D.,  LL.  D.  387 

"  'Be  it  resolved, 

"  '1.  That  a  page  of  the  minute  book  of  this  Presbytery  be 
inscribed  to  the  memory  of  this  beloved  brother. 

"  '2.  xiiat  the  earnest  sympathy  of  this  Presbytery  be  extended 
to  the  bereaved  widow  and  children  of  our  brother,  praying 
for  them  the  abounding  grace  of  our  God  to  help  and  comfort 
them  in  all  their  sorrow.' " 

"After  hearing  the  Memorial,  nearly  every  member 
of  Presbytery  bore  testimony  to  his  esteem  and  regard 
for  the  piety  and  ability  of  him  to  whose  memory  this 
service  was  set  apart. 

"By  a  rising  vote,  the  Memorial  as  prepared  by  the 
Committee  was  approved  and  ordered  to  be  spread 
upon  the  records  of  Presbytery,  and  offered  to  the 
Church  papers  for  publication." 

A  few  testimonials  will  close  this  chapter.  The  fol- 
lowing is  an  editorial  from  The  News  and  Courier  of 
Charleston,  S.  C. : 

"John  L.  Girardeau. 

"The  Rev.  Dr.  Girardeau,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Colum- 
bia on  Thursday  night,  was  a  very  remarkable  man.  He  was 
a  profound  theologian,  a  powerful  antagonist  in  debate,  a 
thorough  teacher,  an  accomplished  scholar,  a  brilliant  rhetori- 
cian, a  marvelous  preacher.  His  whole  heart  and  soul  were 
given  to  his  work.  He  was  passionately  in  earnest  in  what- 
ever cause  he  espoused,  and  contended  for  his  convictions  with 
all  the  ardor  of  an  enthusiastic  nature.  He  made  himself  a 
part  of  his  subject  and  went  with  it  wherever  it  led  and  what- 
ever the  consequences.  He  made  a  marked  and  lasting  impres- 
sion upon  the  religious  thought  of  the  times  in  which  he  lived. 
He  yielded  nothing  to  so-called  'modern  thought.'  He  believed 
that  the  decrees  of  God  are  eternal  and  unchangeable,  and  he 
held  with  undying  tenacity  to  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testament.  He  was  a  thorough-going  Calvinist,  and 
though  trembling  at  the  eternal  justice  he  trusted  to  the  mercy 
of  God  which  endureth  forever. 


388  The  Life  Work  of 

"In  the  class  room  Dr.  Girardeau  was  unexcelled  as  a 
teacher-  but  it  was  as  a  preacher  that  he  was  most  widely 
known.  In  the  pulpit  he  was  irresistible  as  a  prairie  fire.  He 
spoke  with  the  utmost  ease,  and  whatever  the  character  of  his 
congregation,  he  compelled  their  attention  and  admiration. 
Whether  expounding  the  Word  to  his  simple-minded  colored 
flock  in  Charleston  or  preaching  before  an  assembly  of  the 
Church's  most  learned  men,  he  illustrated  the  wisdom  and 
power,  the  height  and  depth  and  all-embracing  wideness  of 
the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

"During  the  war  Dr.  Girardeau  served  as  a  chaplain  in  the 
Confederate  army.  He  believed  that  the  South  was  right  all 
the  way  through,  and  he  held  his  views  unchanged  and 
unchangeable  to  the  last.  Personally,  he  was  a  most  attractive 
gentleman,  and  in  his  social  relations  he  was  the  centre  of  a 
charmed  circle.  His  manners  were  simple  and  unaffected.  He 
regarded  this  life  merely  as  a  school  of  preparation  for  the 
higher  and  everlasting  life  into  which  he  has  entered.  A  prince 
in  Israel  has  fallen  here  only  to  be  exalted  yonder." 

A  member  of  the  old  Glebe  Street  Church  writes : 

"The  tidings  have  come  of  the  passing  away  of  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  men  that  our  State  has  produced.  When 
the  battle-stricken  warrior  sheathes  his  sword  and  retires  from 
the  fight  to  lie  down  and  die  his  comrades,  even  to  the  lowliest 
and  humblest,  love  to  tell  of  the  battles  he  has  won  and  the 
record  he  has  made. 

"Will  you  give  place  to  a  few  words  of  tribute  to  him  whose 
name  adorns  the  head  lines  of  this  article  from  one  who  knew 
and  loved  him  well? 

"Born  upon  our  coast,  he  had  that  ardent,  passionate  love 
for  the  'low-country'  which  only  a  low-countryman  can  under- 
stand. He  loved  first  of  all  Charleston,  then  his  native  State. 
While  at  the  same  time  a  Southerner  of  the  old  stamp,  he 
embraced  in  the  most  ardent  affection  the  traditions  and  con- 
victions that  belonged  to  this  Southland  of  ours. 

"There  are,  doubtless,  some  in  this  city  who  can  recall,  with 
admiration,  an  address  delivered  by  him  just  after  the  Civil 
War,  when  all  our  hearts  were  bleeding  from  the  fresh  wounds 
which  it  had  left.     It  was  made  before  the  survivors  of  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  389 

Washington  Light  Infanty,  and  with  the  most  wonderful  word- 
painting  he  drew  a  picture  of  our  low-country  scenery  and 
spoke  of  our  love  for  our  seaside  homes.  His  skilful  brush 
reproduced  before  the  mental  vision  of  his  audience  the  scenery 
he  himself  loved  so  well— the  almost  tropical  luxuriance  of 
the  foliage,  the  oak  embowered  bays  and  islands,  and  the 
river  banks  lined  with  tangled  forests— the  home  of  the  turkey 
and  the  deer. 

"After  long  service  as  chaplain  in  Virginia,  the  close  of  the 
war  found  him  back  in  his  old  home  and  among  his  own  peo- 
ple, now  desolated  and  impoverished,  and  he  became  pastor  of 
the  Glebe  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  in  connection  with  the 
charge  of  a  colored  church  in  Calhoun  Street. 

"A^  a  preacher  Dr.  Girardeau  was  'sui  generis.'  His  style 
was  his  own,  and  what  that  style  was  those  who  heard  him 
in  his  prime  can  testify.  The  most  abstract  discussion  under 
the  fire  of  his  earnestness  and  desire  to  convince  became 
luminous.  Hence  he  was  never  dull.  His  application  and  pero- 
ration were  often  masterpieces  of  impassioned  eloquence.  All 
his  gifts  of  oratory,  all  the  stores  of  learning  he  had  treasured 
up  in  his  well  disciplined  mind  he  laid  as  a  tribute  at  his  Mas- 
ter's feet.  The  pathos,  the  tender  appeal,  the  solemn  warn- 
ing, the  tone  of  voice,  the  graceful  gesture,  the  eye,  now  flash- 
ing with  the  fervor  of  his  thought,  now  melting  into  tender- 
ness— these  are  simply  indescribable. 

"Like  most  great  men.  Dr.  Girardeau  thought  strongly  and 
expressed  himself  strongly  and  always  had  the  courage  of  his 
convictions.  Hence  to  some  minds,  cast  in  a  different  mould 
from  his,  he  at  times  appeared  'extreme,'  but  those  who  knew 
him  best  and  understood  him  were  aware  that  he  could  always 
give  reasons,  and  good  ones,  too,  for  the  faith  that  was  in. 
him. 

"But  he  is  gone,  and  there  is  one  light  less  in  our  intellectual 
firmament.  Our  State  is,  indeed,  rich  to  be  able  to  produce 
such  men  as  Thornwell,  Girardeau,  Palmer.  The  last  named, 
in  his  green  old  age,  still  lingers  in  the  land  of  Beulah.  'As 
thou  art  .so  were  they ;  each  one  resembled  the  children  of  a 
King.'  " 


390  The  Life  Work  of 

Dr.  T.  A.  Hoyt  says,  in  The  Christian  Observer: 

"There  are  many  testimonies  to  Dr.  Girardeau's  preemi- 
nence as  a  preacher.  Men  of  culture,  some  of  them  diBtinh 
guished  preachers,  who  had  heard  Guthrie,  Caudlish,  Cun- 
ningham, James  Hamilton,  French,  Gumming,  and  Spurgeon, 
have  declared  that  Girardeau  excelled  them  all.  But  he  always 
depreciated  himself  as  a  preacher,  and  for  this  reason,  while 
he  met  his  appointments  at  home,  it  was  difficult  to  induce 
him  to  preach  elsewhere.  The  world  consequently  never  came 
to  know  him.  Among  the  last  comments  he  ever  made  upon 
himself  was :  'I  could  preach  to  the  negroes.  That's  about  all 
I  was  ever  fit  for.'  No  one  who  never  heard  him  preach  to 
the  negroes  ever  heard  him  at  his  best.  To  them  he  talked  as 
an  angel  from  the  skies.  To  them  he  preached  on  the  pro- 
foundest  problems  of  religion,  and  discussed  the  most  intri- 
cate questions  of  Christian  experience.  It  seemed  to  me  that 
before  an  audience  of  negroes  he  could  make  the  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity  plain." 

His  life-long  friend,  Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer,  wrote: 

"July  5th,  1898. 

"My  Dear  Mrs.  Girardeau :  The  Central  Preshyterian  of 
June  29th  confirms  the  report  of  your  husband's  death,  which 
had  before  reached  us  through  a  private  source.  It  is  a  per- 
sonal sorrow  to  hundreds  in  the  Church,  as  well  as  to  those  of 
his  own  household.  For  though  the  tie  may  not  be  so  near 
and  tender,  as  that  which  bound  him  to  yourself,  the  associa- 
tion is  both  close  and  sweet  which  endeared  him  to  many. 
Perhaps  even  more  than  the  students  of  his  later  years,  the 
associates  of  his  earlier  manhood  may  most  deeply  feel  his 
loss.  To  this  class  I  myself  belong;  for  we  were  connected 
by  close  churchly  ties,  until  the  period  of  my  removal  to  New 
Orleans.  The  interval  of  more  than  forty  years  has  not,  how- 
ever, separated  us  either  in  memory  or  affection.  He  was 
indeed  one  of  the  noblest  of  men ;  endowed  with  royal  intellec- 
tual gifts,  these  were  equaled  if  not  surpassed  by  the  qualities 
of  his  heart.  Indeed,  the  combination  of  natural  and  moral 
attributes  was  exceedingly  rare  and  stamped  him  with  an 
individuality  altogether  his  own.  A  physical  nervous  force, 
like   an   electric   current,   ran   along   the   line  of  his   vigorous 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  391 

thought  as  well  as  through  his  deep  emotional  nature,  to  con- 
stitute him  one  of  the  greatest  of  our  modern  preachers.  Bet- 
ter than  all,  his  fervent  piety  and  deep  religious  experience, 
gave  a  holy  sanction  to  all  his  public  teaching.  It  will  be 
long  before  another  generation  can  produce  his  equal ;  and 
those,  who  have  known  him  from  first  to  last,  feel  that  we 
lay  him  to  rest  among  the  immortals  of  the  past. 

"What  he  was  to  you  in  the  privacy  and  joy  of  his  home, 
can  only  be  measured  by  yourself.  Not  often  does  the  shadow 
of  such  a  bereavement  fall  upon  any  home.  I  do  not  venture 
to  offer  the  premature  consolations  which  only  vex  the  heart ; 
for  well  I  know  that  in  the  first  access  of  bitter  sorrow  the 
heart  desires  to  be  left  to  the  luxury  of  its  own  grief.  In  due 
time,  however,  the  God  of  all  consolation  will  whisper  to  you 
the  needed  words  of  comfort — enough  to  sustain  your  faith 
until  you  are  called  to  join  him  in  the  life  of  blessedness 
above. 

"Yours  in  sympathy, 

"B.  M.  Palmer." 

The  following  anonymous  poem  was  published  in 
The  Southern  Preshyterian  of  July  14,  1898 : 

"On  the  Death  of  a  Beloved  Minister. 
Affectionately  dedicated  to  the  family  of  Rev.  J.  L.  Girardeau.'* 

"Brother,  all  tny  toils  are  ended ; 

All  thine  earthly  warfare's  done ; 
To  thy  long-sought  rest  ascended. 

Thou  hast  won  thy  starry  crown ! 
There  the  w^elcome  plaudit  met  thee ; 

Well-done  Servant  of  thy  Lord, 
Faithful  toiler  in  My  vineyard. 

Enter  on  thy  full  reward ! 

"Thou  wast  faithful  with  the  talents 

I  committed  to  thy  care. 
And  each  burden  laid  upon  thee. 

Gladly  for  Me  thou  didst  bear. 
Now  beside  the  'living  waters,' 

In  my  greenest  pastures  rest ; 
And  forget  thine  earthly  sorrows. 

Leaning  on  My  loving  breast ! 


392  The  Life  Work  of 

"Oh  !  methinks  the  holy  angels 

Never  had  a  dearer  care, 
Than  that  ransomed  soul  to  glory, 

On  their  shining  wings  to  bear ! 
Hark!   the  golden  harps  of  Heaven, 

Quiver  with  a  richer  strain. 
As  that  voice  with  holy  rapture 

Blendeth  in  the  glad  refrain ! 

"While  on  earth.  Redemption's  story, 

Ever  dwelt  upon  his  tongue. 
And  to  him  the  'Songs  of  Jesus' 

Were  the  sweetest  ever  sung. 
Now  the  loved  ones  led  to  Heaven, 

By  his  earnest  pleadings  here. 
Join  with  him  to  praise  the  Saviour, 

Who  redeemed  and  brought  them  there. 

"But  alas !  while  thou  art  bathing 

Where  the  streams  of  bliss  o'erflow. 
Sighs  are  heard,  and  wails  of  mourning 

Through  our  Zion  here  below ! 
She  hath  changed  her  beauteous  raiment 

For  the  sable  robes  of  grief ! 
Saviour,  wilt  thou  not  in  mercy, 

Quickly  come  to  her  relief? 

"Stay  thy  rod,  O  Heavenly  Father, 

Spare  the  watchmen  left  her  now ; 
They  whose  hearts,  though  sorely  smitten, 

Meekly  to  Thy  will  would  bow, 
Let  the  unction  of  Thy  Spirit, 

With  his  'mantle'  on  them  fall. 
May  they  emulate  his  fervor, 

'Till  they  hear  the  welcome  call ! 

"And  to  that  now  darkened  dwelling 

So  long  brightened  with  his  love. 
Holy  Comforter  with  healing 

Haste,  oh  haste  Thee,  from  above. 
Sweetly  woo  those  broken  spirits 

To  their  everlasting  rest; 
There  to  find  their  lost  and  loved  one 

Leaning  on  the  Saviour's  breast !" 


APPENDIX 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS 

Delivered  Before  the  General  Assembly  at  Savannah, 
Ga.,  May  23,  1876,  by  the  Rev.  John  L.  Girar- 
deau, D.  D.,  Professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic 
Theology  in  the  Columbia  Theological  Seminary. 

THEOLOGY  AS  A  SCIENCE,  INVOLVING  AN 
INFINITE  ELEMENT. 

Fathers  and  Brethren  of  the  Assembly:  Did  not 
usage  require  that  something  be  said  touching  my 
induction  into  this  chair,  I  would  prefer  to  be  silent 
upon  that  subject.  A  few  words  will,  I  trust,  suffice 
for  the  demands  of  the  occasion,  and  I  shall  pass  on 
to  the  discussion  of  a  more  congenial  topic. 

The  act  just  performed  in  your  presence  scarcely 
needs  comment — it  speaks  for  itself.  Yet  it  is  proper 
that  I  should  say  it  has  been  done  without  reserve.  I 
accept  your  Standards  in  the  sense  in  which  they  were 
constructed  by  the  Old  School  Church  in  1837  and  1838, 
and  in  which  they  are  notoriously  understood  by  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church.  Accustomed  for  years 
to  teach  those  venerable  documents  in  the  pulpit,  the 
Sabbath  School,  the  Bible  class,  and  the  family,  it 
occasions  me  no  difficulty  to  bind  them  thus  solemnly 
upon  the  conscience.  It  is  only  to  repeat  what  was 
once  done  when  I  stood  up  with  profound  emotion 
to  assume  my  ordination  vows.  I  have  no  particle  of 
sympathy  with  the  infidel  cant  which  prates  of  the 


394  The  Life  Work  of 

tyranny  of  creeds  and  the  decay  of  "crumbling  theo- 
logies.'- On  the  contrary,  I  fully  subscribe  to  the 
necessity  of  confessions  and  symbols,  as  a  testimony 
to  the  truth  of  God,  and  as  a  bond  of  union  between 
the  faithful  witnesses  for  Christ.  Still  I  feel  bound 
in  honesty  to  express  the  opinion,  that,  as  there  is  a 
possibility  in  the  future  of  more  and  more  perfectly 
conforming  our  doctrinal  standards  to  the  word  of 
God  as  the  supreme  and  infallible  rule  of  faith  and 
practice,  some  wise  and  carefully  guarded  provision 
to  that  eilect  should  be  made  in  the  Constitution  of 
our  Church;  and  also  to  state,  that,  as  such  a  pro- 
vision exists  for  the  amendment  of  our  governmental 
standards,  one  is  at  liberty  to  discuss  the  necessity  or 
expediency  of  changes  in  them,  it  being  at  the  same 
time  understood  that  until  they  are  duly  made,  the 
practice  of  the  Church  ought  to  be  in  accordance  with 
the  existing  law. 

I  would  avail  myself  of  this  occasion  to  tender  to 
my  able  and  honored  brethren  of  the  Faculty  of  the 
Seminary  my  grateful  acknowledgments  for  the  wel- 
come to  their  sacred  academic  fellowship  which  they 
have  been  pleased  to  extend,  and  to  express  the  hope 
that  the  fraternal  intercourse  with  them  which  it  has 
been  my  privilege  already  to  enjoy  may  know  no 
unhappy  interruption.  An  obvious  delicacy  restrains 
me  from  speaking  of  the  present,  with  its  living 
actors;  but  I  may  be  indulged  in  a  brief  allusion  to 
the  past,  and  especially  to  those  who,  once  connected 
with  this  institution,  have  rested  from  their  toils  for 
Christ's  kingdom  and  truth  upon  earth,  and  have 
taken  their  seats  among  the  General  Assembly  on  high. 

I  esteem  it  a  joy  that  the  school  of  sacred  learning, 
in  which  I  have  been  called  to  occupy  a  place,  is  that 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  395 

at  whose  maternal  breasts  I  first  drew  my  knowledge 
of  theology.  There  it  was  my  privilege  to  sit  at  the 
feet  of  Dr.  George  Howe,  the  erudite  and  accom- 
plished scholar,  and  Dr.  A.  W.  Leland,  the  sacred 
orator,  endowed  by  Providence  with  rich  and  splendid 
gifts.  The  grand  head,  the  classic  face,  the  organ-like 
voice,  the  majestic  elocution,  the  fervent  and  evangeli- 
cal delivery  of  truth,  are  matters  of  tradition  now,  for 
he  has  been  gathered  to  his  fathers  and  sleeps  in  Jesus. 
At  the  same  time  it  was  my  happiness,  with  my  fellow 
students,  to  listen  to  the  eloquent  and  powerful  preach- 
ing of  James  H.  Thomwell  and  Benjamin  M.  Palmer, 
whose  pulpits  were  additional  professorships  of  theo- 
logy to  the  favored  pupils  of  the  Seminary.  I  blush 
at  the  thought  that  the  chair  to  which  I  have  been 
called,  and  which  I  have  reluctantly  consented  to 
ascend,  was  subsequently  filled  by  both  these  distin- 
guished servants  of  the  Church — ^by  one  provisionally 
for  a  brief  period,  and  by  the  other  for  a  term  of  years. 
Yes,  I  blush  to  venture  into  a  seat  which  Thornwell 
illuminated  by  his  ample  learning,  his  profound 
genius,  and  his  exquisite  tact  for  instruction.  He 
shone  in  the  ecclesiastical  firmament  a  brilliant  star, 
of  the  first  magnitude,  which  blazed  the  more  lus- 
trously as  all  too  swiftly  it  sunk  to  its  setting  in  a 
dark  and  frowning  horizon ;  and  although,  alas !  it 
disappeared  from  our  straining  eyes,  it  has  left  behind 
a  trail  of  light  which  lingers  a  wake  of  glory  upon 
the  scene  of  his  last  labors  and  the  Church  of  his  pas- 
sionate love.  Plato  thanked  God  that  he  was  per- 
mitted to  live  in  the  age  of  Socrates,  and  no  youthful 
lover  of  theological  truth  who  ever  sat  under  the 
teachings  of  Thornwell  would  be  ashamed  to  confess 
a  kindred  gratitude.    But  though  he  be  dead,  yet  shall 


396  The  IjIfe  Work  of 

he,  by  the  grace  of  Providence,  yet  speak  in  the  place 
in  which  his  eloquent  tongue  discourses  no  more.  Had 
he  survived  to  complete  the  labors  so  auspiciously  and 
magnificently  begun,  the  Calvin  of  our  Southern  Pres- 
byterian Church  would  have  produced  a  work  which 
would  have  been  to  us  what  the  immortal  Institute  of 
the  Christian  Religion  was  to  its  age,  and  upon  which 
the  encomium  contained  in  the  line  of  Martial  might 
justly  have  been  pronounced : 

"Unum  prce  cunctus  fama  loquatnr  opus" ; 

at  least  the  great  work  of  the  illustrious  Princeton 
theologian  would  not  now,  save  as  to  the  doctrine  of 
the  Church,  be  without  a  peer  as  a  comprehensive  mod- 
ern recast  of  theology.  What  he  has  left  will,  I  trust, 
make  its  mark  upon  the  Columbia  Seminary,  and  the 
grand  analyses  and  comprehensive  principles  of 
revealed  truth  he  has  embodied  in  his  writings  be 
infused  into  the  minds  of  the  students  of  that  institu- 
tion. It  will  be  a  labor  of  love  for  one  who  has  studied 
in  the  school  of  this  master — and  it  was  the  school  of 
Christ — though  he  may  follow  with  no  equal  pace, 
nay,  at  a  long  interval  behind,  to  endeavor  up  to  the 
bent  of  his  ability  to  continue  its  methods  and  incul- 
cate its  doctrines. 

The  communications  which  have  been  presented  to 
the  Assembly  render  it  unnecessary  for  me  to  allude 
to  the  great  reluctance  with  which  I  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  this  position;  but  I  take  leave  to  say  that, 
in  their  susception,  I  acted  not  from  choice,  but  in 
obedience  to  the  repeated  call  of  my  brethren.  Now 
that  the  trust  is  assumed,  nothing  remains  but  that  I 
bring  to  it  what  industry  and  ability  the  Head  of  the 
Church  has  granted  me.     Discarding  all  dependence 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  397 

upon  fleshly  wisdom,  and  implicitly  relying  upon  the 
unction  from  the  Holy  One,  who  teacheth  all  things, 
I  not  unwillingly  dedicate  myself  to  the  performance 
of  this  office.  Profoundly  conscious  of  insufficiency  for 
these  responsibilities,  I  am  nevertheless  comforted  in 
part  by  the  conviction  that  the  love  of  the  truth,  which 
has  never  been  a  subordinate  passion  of  my  heart,  has 
not  diminished  with  the  lapse  of  years.  I  can  sincerely 
adopt  the  language  in  which  the  great  scholar.  Sir 
William  Jones,  has  beautifully  paraphrased  a  noble 
passage  of  Berkeley's  Siris: 

"Before  thy  mystic  altar,  Heavenly  Truth, 
I  kneel  in  manhood,  as  I  knelt  in  youth ; 
There  let  me  kneel  till  this  dull  form  decay, 
And  life's  last  shade  is  brightened  by  thy  ray ! 
Then  shall  my  soul,  now  lost  in  clouds  below. 
Soar  without  bounds,  without  consuming  glow." 

When  Dr.  Thornwell  was  inaugurated  into  his  Pro- 
fessorship in  the  Seminary,  he  pronounced  a  discourse 
in  which  he  discussed  all  the  great  aspects  of  theology 
—its  nature,  its  scope,  its  methods,  its  distributive 
principle,  and  its  importance.  That  address  is  extant 
in  his  writings ;  and  however  appropriately  to  the  cir- 
cumstances of  this  occasion  one  might  submit  his  own 
views  upon  these  subjects,  the  fact  which  has  been 
mentioned  deters  me  from  so  ungraceful  and  superero- 
gatory an  effort.  I  shall,  therefore,  content  myself 
with  inviting  attention  to  the  discussion  of  a  more 
specific  question. 

It  is  now  so  generally  admitted  that  theology  is  a 
science,  that  any  elaborate  attempt  to  establish  its 
claims  to  that  denomination  would  seem  to  be  super- 


398  The  Life  Work  of 

fluous.  It  has  been  said  that  the  title  of  science  is 
denied  to  theolog\^,  "partly  on  the  ground  that  the 
habit  corresponding  to  it  is  not  natural,  but  super- 
natural; and  partly  on  the  ground  that  it  does  not 
spring  from  principles  of  reason,  nor  proceed  by  logi- 
cal deductions.  It  does  not,  in  other  words,  find  a 
place  under  the  Aristotelic  definition  of  science."  Now, 
even  were  it  conceded  that  it  professes  to  be  a  sub- 
jective and  not  an  objective  science,  the  first  of  these 
objections  would  not  necessarily  be  fatal.  For  if  there 
may  be  a  natural  habit  of  natural  knowledge,  there  is 
no  just  reason  why  there  may  not  be  a  supernatural 
habit  of  supernatural  knowledge ;  and  if  reason,  in  its 
natural  condition,  is  adapted  to  the  scientific  treat- 
ment of  the  former,  one  fails  to  see  why  reason  super- 
naturally  enlightened  may  not  be  com^^etent  to  deal 
with  the  latter.  Theology,  however,  claims  to  be 
mainly  a  science  in  the  objective  sense,  as  concerned 
about  the  theory  rather  than  the  habit  of  religion,  and 
the  difficulty  alleged  is  consequently  deprived  of  force. 
To  the  other  objection  it  may  be  answered  that  theo- 
logy does  in  part  spring  from  the  indestructible  prin- 
ciples of  reason,  endorsed  and  enforced  by  revelation; 
that  in  so  far  as  it  arises  from  the  dicta  of  a  super- 
natural revelation,  it  does  no  more  than  other  sciences 
in  accepting  fundamental  principles  already  fur- 
nished; that  if  that  be  gi'anted,  it  grounds  itself  upon 
data  which  are  at  least  of  no  lower  original  than  those 
supplied  by  reason ;  and  that  if  the  facts  and  doctrines 
of  a  divine  revelation  be  given  so  as  to  be  apprehen- 
sible, our  faculties,  if  supernaturally  illuminated,  not 
only  may,  but  must,  by  a  logical  necessity,  proceed  to 
arrange  and  classify  them — in  other  words,  to  reduce 
them  to  scientific  form.     It  mav  surelv  be  allowed  to 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  399 

a  theologian  to  do  reflectively  what  every  intelligent 
man  of  piety,  to  a  certain  extent,  does  spontaneously. 

It  is  not,  however,  my  purpose  to  vindicate  at  large 
the  claims  of  theology  to  be  a  science,  but  to  endeavor 
to  meet  what  is,  perhaps,  the  most  formidable  difficulty 
lying  in  the  way  of  these  pretensions,  growing  out  of 
the  allegation  that  the  attempt  is  made  to  reduce  the 
infinite  to  scientific  conditions — to  make  the  unthink- 
able a  term  of  human  syllogisms.  It  must  be  admitted 
that,  as  to  His  essence,  God  is  undefinable;  an  infinite 
being,  as  He  is  in  himself,  cannot  be  subjected  to  logi- 
cal forms,  cannot  be  made  an  element  in  the  narrow 
premises  of  finite  reasoning.  We  know  nothing  of  our 
own  substances  except  through  their  phenomenal  prop- 
erties, and  what  can  we  know  of  the  substance  of  God  ? 
But  if  this  Avere  all,  as  theology  has  for  its  chief  object 
an  infinite  God,  it  would  follow  that  its  pretensions 
to  be  a  science  at  all,  in  any  proper  sense,  must  at  once 
be  discharged.  With  a  profound  conviction  of  the  lit- 
tleness of  man  and  the  greatness  of  God,  and,  I  trust, 
with  the  reverence  which  befits  the  discussion  of  such 
a  theme,  I  would  adventure  some  reflections  upon  the 
questions :  Have  we  a  valid  knowledge  of  the  Infinite 
Being?  What  is  the  mode  of  attaining  to  that  knowl- 
edge? And  is  it  possible  for  the  reason  to  employ  it 
as  an  element  in  the  processes  of  science?  In  order  to 
clear  the  way,  it  will  be  necessary  to  institute  some 
preliminary  inquiries,  and  to  fix  the  meaning  of  the 
terms  which  will  be  prominently  employed. 

In  the  first  place,  what  is  the  relation  between  faith 
and  reason?  It  has  been  so  customary  for  certain 
writers  to  speak  of  the  distinct  provinces  of  faith  and 
reason,  and  to  represent  them  as  occupying  entirely  dif- 
ferent   domains,    and    performing    entirely    separate 


400  The  Life  Work  of 

functions,  that  there  is  no  wonder  that  confusion  has 
been  the  result.  It  would  seem  to  be  obvious  that  there 
can  be  no  generic  difference  between  them.  Take  any 
view  of  the  nature  of  faith,  except  the  special  one  of 
a  feeling  of  trust,  and  it  cannot  be  excluded  from  the 
territory  of  the  reason.  If  we  adopt  the  distribution 
of  Kant,  and  regard  the  pure  reason  as  distinct  from 
the  logical  understanding,  and  as  constituting  the  seat 
of  transcendent  ideas,  it  is  manifest  that  such  a  fac- 
ulty would  be  the  very  repository  of  our  fundamental 
faiths.  It  would  be  the  precise  office  of  the  reason  to 
believe  those  truths  which  transcend  the  forms  of  the 
logical  understanding.  Take  the  view  of  Hamilton, 
and  identify  the  reason  with  the  understanding  as  the 
same  generic  faculty,  and  it  is  clear  that  it  must  be 
considered  as  the  place  in  Avhich  these  primary  faiths 
or  fundamental  laws  of  belief  are  to  be  found.  And 
as  faith,  in  all  its  aspects,  whenever  it  is  in  exercise, 
involves  as  its  first  element  the  assent  of  the  under- 
standing, it  must  be  admitted  that  since  the  under- 
standing and  the  reason  are,  on  this  hypothesis,  the 
same  faculty,  faith  can  only  be  regarded  as  a  function 
of  the  reason.  To  what  other  department  of  the  mind 
can  we  assign  it?  The  truth  would  seem  to  be  that 
reason  is  simply  a  genus  of  which  faith  is  one  of  the 
species.  Another  is  thought;  and  the  distinction, 
which  is  really  valuable  and  deserves  to  be  noted,  is 
not  between  faith  and  reason,  but  between  faith  and 
thought.  In  the  one  case  it  is  the  reason  believing, 
and  in  the  other  the  reason  thinking.  It  is  one  and 
the  same  faculty  discharging  distinct  specific  func- 
tions. If  this  view  be  correct — and  I  see  not  how  it 
can  be  fairly  disputed — a  considerable  advance  is  made 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  401 

toward   disentangling  the   difficulties  connected   with 
the  main  questions  before  us. 

In  the  second  place,  the  inquiry  must  be  met  as  to 
the  real  distinction  between  faith  and  knowledge.  It 
is  one  of  critical  importance  in  regard  to  the  possi- 
bility of  a  knowledge  of  God  as  an  infinite  being.  It 
deserves  to  be  signalised  in  consequence  of  differences 
which,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  are  to  a  certain  extent 
more  apparent  than  real  between  the  parties  to  the 
issue  in  reference  to  the  cognoscibility  of  God.  It  is 
moreover  deserving  of  consideration  in  view  of  the 
fact  that,  as  the  result  of  inadvertence,  or  perhaps,  in 
some  cases,  of  the  desire  to  avoid  an  apparent  captious- 
ness  and  technical  minuteness,  the  greatest  writers 
have  not  always  used  their  terms  with  that  rigid  uni- 
formity which  is  demanded  by  the  importance  and 
difficulty  of  the  subject.  Sir  William  Hamilton,  not- 
withstanding the  ordinary  accuracy  of  his  terminol- 
ogy, has  not  always  been  free  from  vacillation  in  this 
matter.  And  one  at  least  of  his  distinguished  critics 
has,  in  consequence  of  the  same  fact,  rendered  it  doubt- 
ful whether  his  intention  was  to  affirm  or  deny  the 
possibility  of  knowing  the  infinite  simply  by  the  func- 
tions of  the  thinking  reason.  Now,  it  is  respectfully 
generic  relation  which  I  have  attempted  to  show  is 
held  by  reason;  with  this  important  difference,  how- 
ever, that  reason  is  the  generic  course  from  which 
faith  and  thought  spring  as  species,  while  knowledge, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  the  generic  result  of  the  exercise 
of  these  specific  powers.  Is  it  not  clear  that  there  are 
some  things  which  we  know  because  we  believe  them, 
and  other  things  which  we  know  because  we  think 
them?  And  yet  there  appears  to  be  a  continual  ten- 
dency to  confound  the  cognoscible  with  the  cogitable. 


402  The  Life  Work  of 

There  are  cases  in  which  they  coincide,  but  there  are 
others  in  which  they  do  not — in  which  the  know  able 
transcends  the  thinkable.  There  are  instances  in 
which  knowledge  is  the  common  product  of  faith  and 
the  reflective  reason;  and  there  are  others  in  which 
faith  attains  a  knowledge  which  lies  utterly  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  thinking  faculties  alone.  There  is, 
therefore,  no  generic  distinction  betAveen  faith  and 
knowledge,  just  as  there  is  no  such  distinction  between 
faith  and  reason.  Knowledge  is  a  result  of  which  at 
one  time  faith  is  a  factor,  and  at  another,  thought. 
Wlien,  therefore,  it  is  affirmed  that  we  cannot  know 
the  infinite  by  the  thinking  reason — in  other  words, 
that  we  cannot  conceive  it — the  meaning  need  not  be 
taken  to  be  that  we  cannot  know  it  at  all ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  the  position  is  consistent  with  the  affirmation 
that  we  know  it  by  faith.  When  Hamilton  sometimes 
says,  We  do  not  know,  we  only  believe  the  infinite,  he 
departs  from  his  own  strictness  of  speech.  His  mean- 
ing is  that  we  do  not  know  it  by  conceiving  it,  but  we 
know  it  by  believing.  "The  Divinity,"  he  correctly 
remarks,  "is  in  a  certain  sense  revealed,  in  a  certain 
sense  is  concealed ;  he  is  at  once  known  and  unknown." 
That  is  to  say — his  meaning  obviously  is — the  Deity 
is  known  as  revealed  to  faith,  and  unknown,  as  infinite, 
through  the  exercise  of  the  reflective  reason.  The 
knowledge  derived  through  faith  immeasurably  over- 
passes that  acquired  by  thought.  Dr.  Thornwell,  who, 
with  a  philosophical  genius  akin  to  Hamilton's, 
criticises  the  position  of  the  great  Scotchman  in  refer- 
ence to  the  cognoscibility  of  the  infinite,  enounces  the 
distinction  for  which  I  am  now  contending  when 
speaking  of  the  knowledge  even  of  finite  substance. 
His  language  is :    "In  our  knowledge  of  the  finite  there 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  403 

are  evidently  two  elements  or  factors.  There  is,  first, 
the  relative  and  phenomenal,  which  can  be  conceived 
and  known ;  this  is  the  proper  object  of  thought.  There 
is,  secondly,  the  substance  or  substratum,  the  quasi 
absolute,  which  cannot  be  represented  in  thought,  but 
which  is  positively  believed  as  existing.  One  element 
addresses  itself  to  the  intelligence  and  the  other  to 
faith.  *  *  *  It  is  in  and  through  the  phenomena  that 
substance  is  known."  Here  knowledge  in  one  relation 
is  attributed  to  conception,  and  in  another  to  faith. 
These  citations  are  sufficient  to  indicate  that  the  view 
now  insisted  upon  was  at  bottom  held  by  both  these 
great  thinkers,  to  wit:  that  faith  and  knowledge  are 
not  contrasted,  but  that  knowledge  is  a  product  of 
which  at  one  time  faith  is  the  efficient,  and  at  another 
time,  conception. 

I  would  take  occasion,  in  connection  with  this  sub- 
ject, to  remark  briefly  upon  the  vexed  question  of  the 
relation,  in  the  order  of  sequence,  between  faith  and 
knowledge ;  for  that  is  the  form  in  which  the  question 
is  nearly  always  stated,  although  the  terms  of  the  rela- 
tion ought  to  be,  not  faith  and  knowledge,  but  faith 
and  thought.  It  would  appear  to  be  evident  that,  first 
of  all,  would  come  a  fundamental  belief  or  faith,  and 
then  a  special  act  of  cognition  furnishing  a  certain 
kind  of  knowledge,  and  lastly,  a  particular  exercise  of 
faith  resulting  in  another  kind  of  knowledge.  Let  me 
illustrate  by  two  cases — one  drawn  from  the  sphere  of 
nature,  the  other  from  that  of  grace.  We  have,  it  is 
now  well-nigh  universally  admitted,  at  the  root  of  our 
faculties  fundamental  law^s  of  belief,  which  are  elicited 
into  exercise  upon  the  occasions  which  occur  in  expe- 
rience. Among  these,  characterised  by  simplicity  and 
necessity,  is  the  intuitive  faith  in  the  relation  of  effect 


404  The  Life  Work  of 

to  cause.  We  behold  a  new  event.  Something  begins 
to  be  which  did  not  exist  before.  What  takes  place? 
Apparently  there  is  first  the  cognition  of  the  event. 
But  back  of  that  act  of  cognition  lay  the  fundamental 
law  of  belief  in  the  relation  of  cause  and  effect.  That 
law,  existing  prior  to  the  cognition,  but  latent  and 
undeveloped  to  consciousness,  is  now  elicited  by  the 
perceptive  act,  and  the  result  is  a  special  exercise  of 
faith,  necessitating  the  inference  that  the  event  per- 
ceived was  due  to  some  sufficient  cause.  Take  a  case 
from  the  supernatural  sphere.  A  sinner  believes  in 
Christ  as  his  Saviour.  What  is  the  order  here  ?  First, 
there  is  the  capacity  and  tendency  to  believe — a  funda- 
mental law  of  the  spiritual  life,  imparted  by  the  grace 
of  regeneration.  Then  there  is  an  apprehension  m 
thought  of  the  propositions  of  the  gospel  which  offer 
Christ  to  sinners,  and,  lastly,  there  is  the  special  act  of 
faith  by  which  the  soul  receives  those  propositions  as 
the  testimony  of  God,  embraces  the  Saviour,  and 
knows  Him  unto  salvation.  We  would  infer  from  this 
analysis  that  the  special  cognitive  acts  of  thought  are 
preceded  by  fundamental  faiths,  and  that  the  special 
cognitive  acts  of  faith  are  occasioned  by  the  particular 
exercises  of  the  thinking  faculty ;  and  it  would  further 
follow  that  the  knowledge  which  results  from  percep- 
tion, and  reasoning,  is  of  oi^e  kind,  and  that  produced 
by  faith  is  of  another  sort. 

There  is  but  one  difficulty  which  I  can  conceive  in 
this  statement  of  the  order  of  procedure  among  the 
mental  powers  in  the  evolution  of  knowledge.  It  is 
one  which  arises  from  the  fact,  that  it  is  not  uncom- 
mon to  rank  primitive  concepts,  as  well  as  primary 
or  intuitive  faiths,  among  the  fundamental  data  of 
consciousness.     If    by    primitive    concepts    be    meant 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  405 

formed  and  developed  knowledges,  as  the  term  would 
strictl}^  imply,  it  is  evident  that  the  theory  of  their 
existence  is  based  in  mistake.  Whatever  were  Locke's 
defects,  he  exploded  the  doctrine  of  innate  ideas  as 
involving  formalised  knowledge.  If  it  be  meant  that 
they  are  laws  of  thought  bearing  the  same  regulative 
relation  to  the  specific  acts  of  thougiit  as  the  laws  of 
belief  may  be  conceived  to  sustain  to  the  special  exer- 
cises of  faith,  the  question  of  their  separate  existence 
would  be  a  fair  one.  It  would  seem,  however,  to  be 
unnecessary  to  make  the  distribution.  The  funda- 
mental laws  of  belief  are  usually  considered  as  hold- 
ing, in  the  form  of  certain  necessities  of  knowing,  a 
common  relation  to  all  the  cognitive  functions.  But 
if  the  distinction  be  admitted  between  the  primary 
laws  of  thought  and  those  of  belief,  it  is  obvious  that, 
as  both  classes  would  equally  lie  at  the  very  founda- 
tions of  the  mental  processes,  there  could  be  no  pre- 
cedence of  one  to  the  other.  They  would  be  concur- 
rently evolved,  each  in  its  own  special  direction.  It 
cannot  be  shown  that,  in  the  last  analysis,  faith  is 
ever  grounded  in  thought.  The  probability  lies  the 
other  way — that  our  fundamental  faiths  lie  at  the 
basis  of  all  our  mental  acts.  Knowledge  begins  in 
faith,  and  ends  in  faith. 

Having  endeavored  to  clear  away  certain  difficulties 
which  lay  in  the  path  of  the  discusion,  by  indicating 
the  relations  of  faith  and  reason,  and  of  faith  and 
knowledge,  and  by  calling  attention  to  the  real  dis- 
tinction which  deserves  emphasis,  viz.,  that  between 
faith  and  thought  as  specific  functions  of  the  reason 
and  specific  factors  of  knowledge,  we  are  prepared  to 
take  up  the  question  as  to  the  validity  of  our  knowl- 


406  The  Life  Work  of 

edge  of  the  Infinite,  and  as  to  the  mode  of  its  posses- 
sion. 

There  are  two  sorts  of  revelation  which  God  has 
furnished — the  first  natural,  the  second  supernatural. 
Natural  revelation  is  the  testimony  of  God  to  natural 
truth — concerning  himself,  man,  and  the  relations 
involved.  That  testimony — the  unwritten  word  of 
God — is  contained  in  the  microcosm  within  man,  and 
the  macrocosm  without  him.  It  is  imbedded  in  his 
make  and  constitution,  and  utters  itself  in  every 
energy  which  wakes  to  activity  from  the  profoundest 
depths  of  the  soul.  It  whispers  in  consciousness,  thun- 
ders in  conscience,  and  breaks  into  doxologies  in  the 
instinctive  worship  of  the  heart.  Every  bodily  sense 
gives  it  a  tongue.  It  proclaims  itself  at  the  gates 
through  which  the  procession  of  the  mental  powers 
marches  out  to  communicate  with  the  external  world, 
and  through  which  a  mighty  host  of  influences  from 
the  universe  without  throngs  into  the  capacious  courts 
of  the  human  spirit.  It  breathes  in  the  air,  shouts  in 
the  storm,  and  lifts  up  its  awful  voice  in  the  roar  of 
tempestuous  seas.  By  day,  it  is  read  in  the  light 
poured  out  upon  the  earth  like  a  baptism  of  glory,  and 
by  night  unrolls  its  flaming  register  upon  the  distant 
vault  of  heaven.  In  a  word,  the  testimony  of  God 
afforded  by  natural  revelation  is  inscribed  upon  every 
power  of  man,  and  upon  every  element  of  external 
nature. 

Supernatural  revelation  is  the  testimony  of  God  to 
supernatural  and  redemptive  truth — concerning  him- 
self, man,  and  the  relations  involved.  This  is  furnished 
in  the  Scriptures.  They  discharge  a  twofold  office. 
In  the  first  place,  they  republish  and  confirm  the  les- 
sons of  reason,  of  the  external  universe,  and  of  the 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  407 

Covenant  of  Works  as  a  positive  element  in  the  first 
religion  of  man  as  an  unfallen  being.  They  bring  out 
afresh  and  illuminate  the  testimony  of  God  furnished 
in  natural  revelation,  but  rendered,  in  great  measure, 
illegible,  inaudible,  and  impotent  by  the  deadening 
influence  of  sin.  In  the  second  place,  they  create  the 
knowledge  of  the  scheme  of  redemption,  reveal  the  orig- 
inal principles  of  God's  moral  government  under  new 
modifications  and  altogether  singular  and  distinctive 
methods  of  application,  and  unveil  to  the  gaze  of  a 
holy  universe,  an  attribute  of  the  divine  nature  which 
had  not  previously  terminated  upon  its  appropriate 
objects — the  lovely  quality  of  mercy,  yearning  over  the 
guilty,  the  wretched,  and  the  lost,  and  suggesting  their 
recovery  from  sin  and  hell  through  the  blood  of  the 
eternal  Son,  and  the  grace  of  the  eternal  Spirit.  The 
gospel,  therefore,  is  not  coextensive  with  the  Scrip- 
tures. They  are  generic;  it  is  specific.  So  far  as  the 
Scriptures  reveal  redemption  for  sinners,  they  are  the 
gospel. 

Corresponding  to  these  two  kinds  of  revelation,  and 
to  the  respective  divine  testimonies  yielded  through 
them,  there  are  two  sorts  of  faith — natural  and  super- 
natural. Generically  considered,  faith,  as  fundamental 
and  undeveloped,  is  an  aptitude  for,  and  as  elicited 
into  act,  an  assent  to,  truth  upon  evidence,  and  com- 
monly evidence  in  the  form  of  testimony.  Truth  is 
the  object,  faith  the  organ,  and  testimony  the  ground. 
Specifically  contemplated,  natural  faith  is  an  aptitude 
for,  or  assent  to,  the  truths  of  natural  revelation  upon 
the  testimony  of  God. 

Supernatural  faith — the  product  of  the  regenerating 
grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost — in  so  far  as  it  is  funda- 
mental   and   regulative,    is   an    undeveloped   spiritual 


408  The  Life  Work  of 

power  lying  at  the  roots  of  the  renewed  nature,  and 
adapted  to  the  reception  of  the  transcendent  truths  of 
redemption  upon  the  written  testimony  of  God.  In 
so  far  as  it  is  brought  out  into  special  exercise,  it 
actually  receives  the  truths  of  the  gospel  upon  God's 
testimony,  and  embraces  and  relies  upon  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  Saviour  of  sinners. 

Let  us  now  inquire  into  the  functions  of  these 
respective  sorts  of  faith  in  regard  to  the  infinite  ele- 
ment in  natural  and  supernatural  revelation;  and  the 
apostle  Paul  shall  furnish  us  a  text  for  the  discussion : 
"He  that  cometh  to  God  must  helieoe  that  he  is." 

1.  We  begin  with  natural  faith.  The  proposition 
which  I  desire  to  establish  is,  that  there  is  in  the  soul 
a  fundamental  faith  which  adapts  it  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  Infinite  Being,  and  that,  when  developed 
through  experience,  it  positively  affirms  his  existence. 
It  is  in  this  way  w^e  know  God  as  infinite,  and  not 
through  the  processes  of  the  thinking  reason.  It  has 
been  the  common  opinion  of  theologians  that  the 
knowledge  of  God  is  intuitive.  It  is  not  to  be  under- 
stood that  they  meant,  by  the  use  of  this  language,  to 
affirm  that  there  is  any  presentative  knowledge  of 
him.  Intuition,  though  sometimes  employed  in  that 
sense,  is  not  in  this  relation.  Had  we  such  a  knowl- 
edge of  God,  we  could  describe  him  as  we  do  objects 
upon  which  we  gaze.  AVhat  they  intended  was,  that 
man  is  so  constituted  that  the  truth  of  the  divine 
existence  is  self-evident — it  vouches  for  itself  b}^  its 
own  light.  Of  course,  by  such  a  doctrine,  if  it  be  not 
unmeaning,  they  designed  to  teach  that  there  is  an 
intuitive  knowledge  of  an  infinite  Being.  As  speci- 
mens of  theological  consent  in  this  matter,  I  cite  a 
witness  from  the  Keformation  period,  one  from  a  later 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  409 

age,  and  two  from  our  own  time.  Calvin,  sometimes, 
is  wont  to  say  that  the  knowledge  of  God  is  implanted 
in  the  mind,  and  at  othei^  that  it  is  carved  into  it. 
De  Moor,  in  his  able  and  learned  Commentary  on 
Marck's  Compendium,  expressly  draws  a  distinction 
between  the  notitla  itisita  and  the  iwtitia  acquisita — 
the  implanted  and  the  acquired  knowledge  of  God. 
Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  by  a  convincing  argument,  sus- 
tains the  position  that  such  knowledge  is  intuitive; 
and  Dr.  Thornwell,  although  somewhat  guarded  in  his 
language,  admitted  that  there  is  a  fundamental  faith 
which  necessitates  the  inference  of  the  Divine  exis- 
tence. And  yet  it  seems  strange  that,  notwithstanding 
these  express  admissions,  the  two  last-named  illus- 
trious divines  were  reluctant  to  concede  the  impossi- 
bility of  knowing  the  Infinite  Being  through  the  pro- 
cesses of  the  discursive  understanding.  They  criticise 
the  doctrine  of  the  great  Scotch  philosopher,  that  we 
know  the  Infinite  only  by  faith,  and  appear  to  hold, 
that  by  thinking  away  limitations,  and  removing 
imperfections,  from  our  concepts  of  finite  manifesta- 
tions of  the  Infinite,  we  may  reach,  though  only  a 
partial,  yet  a  real  and  valid  knowledge  of  it.  I  must 
confess  that,  to  my  mind,  such  a  process  of  the  think- 
ing faculty,  however  indefinitely  prosecuted,  could 
only  avail  to  give  an  ever-enlarging  conception  of  the 
finite.  We  know  the  Infinite  Being,  as  infinite,  by 
faith ;  we  know  his  finite  manifestations  by  perception 
and  thought. 

There  are  criteria  by  which  the  existence  of  funda- 
mental beliefs  may  be  tested — they  are  self-evidence, 
simplicity,  and  necessity.  If  a  principle  is  revealed  in 
its  own  light,  if  it  cannot  be  resolved  into  simpler  ele- 
ments,  if   it   must    be   admitted    in    a    healthful    and 


410  The  Life  Work  or 

normal  condition  of  the  faculties,  it  ought  to  be 
acknowledged  to  be  primary  and  fundamental.  Uni- 
versality, though  not  strictly  one  of  these  coordinate 
criteria,  is  a  fair  proof  of  necessity.  Beliefs  which  we 
find  existing  in  every  partially  civilised  tribe  of  men, 
and  expressed  in  the  language  of  every  people  pos- 
sessed of  even  a  moderate  degree  of  cultivation,  are 
proved  by  that  fact  to  be  necessary.  Subjected  to  these 
tests,  the  belief  in  the  Infinite,  and,  I  am  disposed  to 
think,  in  an  Infinite  Being,  will  be  evinced  as  one  of 
the  fundamental  faiths  of  the  human  mind.  It  cer- 
tainly is  characterised  by  simplicity,  for  it  cannot  be 
resolved  into  anything  more  ultimate.  It  will  be  said 
that  it  cannot  abide  the  tests  of  self-evidence  and 
necessit}^,  in  view  of  the  fact,  first,  that  there  are  some 
who  are  ignorant  of  it;  and,  secondly,  that  there  are 
some  who  theoretically  deny  it.  To  the  first  objection 
it  is  easy  to  reply  that  no  acknowledged  intuition  is 
developed  in  the  mind  of  an  infant,  and  that  there  are 
tribes  of  men  who,  in  intellectual  culture,  are  in  an 
infantile  condition.  The  belief  in  substance  is  self- 
evident  and  necessary,  whenever  the  faculties  are 
developed  by  education;  but  there  may  be  an  intellec- 
tual state  so  brutish  that  it  is  not  elicited  into  exercise. 
There  is  a  failure,  even  on  the  part  of  some  philoso- 
phers, to  distinguish  between  the  originality  and  the 
comparative  maturity  of  a  principle.  Paley,  for  exam- 
ple, confounded  the  maturity  and  the  originality  of 
conscience.  It  is  conceded  that  a  fundamental  faith, 
like  a  fundamental  law  of  morality,  depends  for  even 
its  loAvest  development  upon  the  conditions  furnished 
by  experience,  and  that  the  degrees  of  its  expansion 
correspond  Avith  the  degrees  of  a  regular  and  normal 
cultivation  of  the  faculties.    It  is  susceptible  of  doubt. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  411 

moreover,  whether  the  cases  are  not  exceedingly  few, 
in  which  men  have  been  found  in  so  dwarfed  a  state 
of  the  intellectual  and  moral  faculties,  as  not  to  pos- 
sess some  belief  in  the  illimitable. 

To  the  second  objection — that  there  are  some  who 
theoretically  den}^  the  existence  of  an  Infinite  Being — 
it  may  be  answered  that  the  number  of  such  thinkers 
is  just  exceptional  enough  to  challenge  attention  to  the 
general  rule.  The  rash  and  abnormal  expressions  of  a 
few  men  cannot  be  assumed  as  at  all  affecting  the  con- 
sentient faith  of  the  race.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that 
when  God  himself  deigns  to  speak  of  those  who  deny 
his  existence,  he  stigmatises  them  not  so  much  as  crim- 
inals, but  as  fools.  The  indescribable  folly  of  such  a 
course  would  appear  to  transcend  its  impiety.  It  is 
to  the  credit  even  of  a  sinful  and  infatuated  race,  that 
this  variety  of  it,  like  the  mutilated  specimens  of  some 
animal  species,  are  very  limited  in  number.  They  may 
emj^hatically  be  regarded  as  livsus  naturae^  since  in 
their  production  nature  seems  to  indulge  in  a  horrible 
amusement  at  her  own  expense ;  and  so,  by  the  hideous 
caricature  of  herself,  proves  that  the  sin  which  has 
revolutionized  her  integrity  is  as  besotted  as  it  is 
devilish. 

The  whole  difficulty,  if  any  there  be,  is  relieved  of 
force  by  the  simple  consideration  that  there  is  scarcely 
any  self-evident  truth  which  has  not  had  some  one  to 
deny  it.  It  would  seem  as  if  the  ultimate  effect  of  sin 
would  be  to  craze  the  reason,  and  to  convert  the  world 
into  a  lunatic  asylum. 

Having  endeavored  to  prove,  positively,  that  there 
is  a  fundamental  law  of  belief  which  guarantees  the 
Infinite,  I  pass  on  to  show,  negatively,  that  we  can 
reach  the  knowledge  of  the  Infinite  in  no  other  way — 


412  The  Life  Work  of 

that  it  is  not  possible  for  thought  to  furnish  it.  It  is 
the  province  of  the  thinking  faculties  to  receive  the 
information  furnished  by  perception,  to  conceive,  to 
form  judgments  from  concepts,  to  construct  arguments 
from  judgments — to  j^roceed  by  analysis  and  sjm thesis, 
by  induction  and  deduction.  It  is  clear  that  as  each 
one  of  these  powers  is  limited  to  phenomenal  prop- 
erties, the  conclusions  which  they  reach  must  be  char- 
acterised by  a  corresponding  limitation.  There  cannot 
be  in  the  conclusion  more  than  is  contained  in  the 
premises.  Let  us  test  this  law  of  the  processes  of 
thought  by  a  single  illustration.  Take  the  notion  of 
substance.  How  do  we  know  it?  That  about  which 
perception  and  conception  are  concerned,  is  simply  the 
phenomenal  properties.  Think  away,  for  example, 
from  this  desk  all  its  properties — its  dimensions,  its 
configuration,  its  color,  its  divisibility,  and  others 
which  belong  to  it — and  what  remains  to  be  appre- 
hended in  thought  ?  Nothing.  And  yet  we  must  postu- 
late the  existence  of  a  substance  in  which  these  prop- 
erties inhere,  and  of  which  they  are  the  phenomenal 
manifestations.  What  we  know  in  thought  is  the  acci- 
dents, what  we  know  by  faith  is  the  substance.  In 
like  manner  think  away  thought,  feeling,  desire,  voli- 
tion, moral  perceptions  from  the  mind,  and  what 
remains  to  be  conceived?  Nothing.  Still  we  must 
demand  a  substance,  which  is  ourselves,  to  which  these 
qualities  belong  and  which  they  express.  How  do  we 
know  it  ?  Not  by  conception,  but  by  faith.  The  knowl- 
edge of  the  substance  is  as  valid  as  the  knowledge  of 
the  properties.  The  explanation  of  the  process  would 
seem  to  be  clear.  The  cognitive  apprehension  of  the 
phenomenal  manifestations  elicits  into  exercise  a  hith- 
erto dormant  fundamental  law  of  belief:  that  necessi- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  413 

tates  the  inference  from  the  properties  that  the  sub- 
stance exists;  and  that  inference  is  precisely  a  special 
act  of  faith.  It  is  necessary — we  cannot  avoid  it.  It 
is  immediate, — it  differs  entirely  from  the  mediate 
inference  of  the  syllogistic  process.  There  is  no  enthy- 
meme  with  a  suppressed  premise;  for  there  is  no  sup- 
pressed premise  to  be  supplied.  We  pass,  fev  saltunh^ 
from  the  concept  of  the  properties  to  the  existence  of 
the  substance.  Now  what  is  true  of  our  knowledge  of 
finite  substance,  is,  a  fortiori^  true  of  our  knowledge 
of  an  infinite  substance.  Let  us  take,  for  instance,  the 
famous  cosmological  argument.  We  cognize  effects, 
and  effects  upon  a  stupendous  scale.  We  refer  them 
to  an  adequate  first  cause.  That,  however,  only  gives 
us  a  sufficient,  not  an  infinite,  cause.  The  effects  are 
apprehended  as  finite ;  the  cause  that  is  postulated  need 
not  be  more  than  a  vast  finite  cause.  Were  the  process 
purely  ratiocinative,  that  would  be  the  result.  Limited 
and  conditioned  effects,  however  great,  demand  no 
more  than  a  limited  and  conditioned  cause.  But  this, 
it  will  be  said,  is  not  a  complete  account  of  the  argu- 
ment. We  cognize  the  cosmical  effects  as  changing, 
fluctuating,  contingent;  and  we  refer  them  to  a  first 
cause  which  is  unchanging,  unfluctuating,  uncontin- 
gent — that  is,  to  a  necessary  Being  who  has  the  reason 
of  his  existence  in  himself.  But  given  a  necessary 
Being,  and  we  have  an  infinite  Being.  Now,  in 
regard  to  this  procedure,  we  submit  a  few  remarks: 
In  the  first  place,  it  is  based,  even  in  its  simplest  form, 
upon  a  fundamental  law  of  belief,  namely,  the  prin- 
ciple which  demands  a  cause  for  every  effect,  and  a 
cause  sufficient  for,  and  corresponding  to,  the  effects. 
What,  then,  is  the  process  ?  By  perception  and  thought 
we  apprehend  the  phenomenal  effects,  and  the  funda- 


414  The  Lite  Work  of 

mental  law  of  causality  necessitates  the  inference  to 
the  cause.  That  inference  is  but  a  special  act  of  faith. 
Call  it  judgment,  if  you  will,  but  it  has  no  middle.  It 
is  immediate  and  necessary,  and  therefore  ceases  to 
be  ratiocinative,  and  takes  on  the  complexion  of  faith. 
In  the  second  place,  the  inference  from  contingent 
effects  to  a  necessary  Being  as  their  cause  is  only  legiti- 
mated by  a  similar  fundamental  law  of  belief.  The 
mere  process  of  thinking  would  never  conduct  us  to  it. 
In  the  third  place,  it  is  possible  to  doubt  whether  the 
affirmation  of  a  necessary  Being  is  tantamount  to  the 
affirmation  of  an  infinite  Being.  It  may  be  conceiv- 
able that  a  Being  might  have  the  reason  of  his  exist- 
ence in  himself,  and  yet  not  contain  all  that  is  strictly 
demanded  by  the  notion  of  the  Infinite.  But  granted 
that  such  a  result  follows  from  the  attainment  of  a 
necessary  first  cause,  and  still  it  is  urged  that  the 
knowledge  of  that  Being  is  the  product,  not  of  the  con- 
ceiving and  reasoning  process,  but  of  an  act  of  faith 
enforced  by  a  fundamental  and  regulative  law  of 
belief.  Why  not  admit  that  there  is  a  primary  and 
intuitive  faith,  which  is  at  once  an  aptitude  and  a 
guarantee  for  the  knowledge  of  the  Infinite?  I  have 
already  attempted  to  show  that  there  exists  such  a 
fundamental  principle,  which  will  stand  the  test  of 
criteria  by  which  the  existence  of  such  primitive  laws 
are  determined. 

Let  us  then  start  with  that  assumption,  and  indi- 
cate the  steps  of  the  process  by  which  an  actual  knowl- 
edge of  the  Infinite  Being  is  reached.  Let  it  be 
observed  that  there  is  not  here  even  a  squinting  to  the 
theory  of  the  Absolutist  philosophers — that  we  imme- 
diately know  the  Infinite  Being  as  the  result  of  this 
law   of   belief.    Were   that   possible,   what    could   we 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  415 

know  ?  Nothing  but  the  Infinite  Being  Himself,  with- 
out the  qualification  of  a  single  attribute.  Properties 
as  such,  are  only  apprehended  by  perception  and 
thought.  These  faculties  cannot,  therefore,  be  over- 
slaughed in  the  effort  to  answer  the  question,  What 
God  is,  as  well  as  the  question.  Does  God  exist  ?  Hence 
it  is  no  marvel  that  Cousin,  who  contended  that  the 
mere  possession  of  the  belief  in  the  Infinite  necessi- 
tates the  immediate  knowledge  of  the  Infinite  God, 
denied  his  personality,  and  made  the  human  reason 
itself  impersonal.  It  is  true  that  the  term  Infinite, 
unless  it  symbolises  nothing,  and  language  in  its  most 
solemn  and  impressive  form  be  only  an  imposture 
practiced  ujDon  our  faculties  by  themselves  or  by  some 
malignant  spirit,  implies  the  existence  of  a  corre- 
sponding reality.  But  that  determines  nothing  in 
reference  to  the  mode  by  which  the  knowledge  so  rep- 
resented is  ultimately  attained.    What  is  that  mode  ? 

Consciousness  and  external  perception  furnish  for 
thought  the  phenomena  of  our  own  being  and  those  of 
the  external  world.  We  perceive  them  as  effects,  and 
effects  upon  a  vast,  an  universal  scale.  The  fimda- 
mental  belief  in  the  Infinite,  elicited  into  exercise  by 
these  conditions  of  experience,  induces  the  inference, 
in  the  form  of  a  special  act  of  faith,  not  only  of  a  first 
cause,  but  of  an  infinite  first  cause.  We  cognize  the 
moral  phenomena  of  our  minds;  we  infer  a  moral 
lawgiver  and  ruler.  This  conducts  us,  however,  only 
to  one  w^ho  has  knowledge  and  power  sufficient  to 
enable  him  to  govern  the  universe.  The  fundamental 
belief  in  the  Infinite  leads  to  the  inference,  by  a  special 
faith,  in  the  infinity  of  the  moral  Kuler.  We  are  con- 
scious of  the  sense  of  dependence,  and  of  religious 
tastes  and  emotions  which  infer  a  Being  of  vast  knowl- 


416  The  Life  AVork  or 

edge  and  power,  and  of  beauty,  loA^eliness,  and  glory 
as  the  object  of  worship.  But  we  have  not  reached 
the  Infinite.  That  is  given  by  faith.  AVe  know  the 
Infinite  Creator,  Governor,  and  Object  of  worship,  as 
infinite,  not  by  thought,  but  by  faith. 

To  be  more  particular:  for  it  is  special  cases  which 
are  the  tests  of  theories.  How  do  we  acquire  the 
knowledge  of  infinite  attributes?  Let  us  take  the 
instance  of  j^ower.  We  cognize  effects,  which  we  are 
constrained  to  refer  to  power  as  their  cause.  That 
reference  is  itself  necessitated  by  a  fundamental  belief. 
But  finite  effects  can  only  give  us  finite  power.  I  do 
not  deny  that  we  have  a  real  and  valid  knowledge,  by 
conception,  of  the  finite  manifestations  of  infinite 
power,  just  as  we  have  the  knowledge,  by  conception, 
of  our  own  power  and  of  the  forces  of  nature,  in  their 
lower  degrees  of  exercise,  as  well  as  their  higher.  But 
still  we  have  only  reached  limited  power.  We  then, 
by  the  thinking  faculty,  endeavor  to  remove  all  limi- 
tations, and  to  attain  the  concept  of  an  unlimited  and 
illimitable  power.  We  fail;  for  conception  cannot 
grasp  the  Infinite.  Here  faith  comes  in,  and  projects 
the  highest  concept  of  finite  power  into  the  region  of 
the  infinite.  Without  the  condition  afforded  by  the 
thinking  process,  faith  would  sleep;  without  faith 
roused  into  activity  by  that  condition,  thought  would 
stop  infinitely  short  of  the  Infinite. 

Indulge  a  figure  for  a  moment.  Faith  and  Thought 
— ^twin  powers — go  forth  together  to  the  examination 
of  phenomena,  of  effects  and  properties;  and  at  first 
Faith  leans  upon  the  arm  of  her  sister.  Thought  pro- 
ceeding upon  the  phenomenal  contents  of  perception, 
rises  concept  by  concept,  and  removes  imperfection 
after  imperfection,  in  her  endeavor  to  reach  the  Infi- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  417 

nite.  Foiled  in  her  attempt,  she  sinks  in  her  final 
effort,  breathless  and  exhausted,  on  the  hither  side  of 
the  chasm,  which  opens  up  between  the  highest  con- 
cept of  the  finite  and  the  Infinite  God.  "Art  tired, 
sister?"  says  Faith;  "rest  thou  here,  until  I  essay  the 
passage  of  this  gulf."  Then  stretching  her  hitherto 
folded  wings,  and  planting  her  feet  on  the  last  stand- 
ing ground  of  Thought,  as  her  point  of  departure,  she 
flies  across  the  ocean  impassable  to  her  feebler  sister, 
home  to  the  bosom  of  the  Infinite  Being.  She  sees  the 
invisible  God,  hears  his  inaudible  voice,  and,  by  a 
mysterious  and  inexplicable  power,  apprehends  his 
infinitude.  Then  returning,  she  furnishes  her  grand 
knowledge  to  Thought,  and  ever  after  the  form  of  the 
Infinite,  so  to  speak,  is  imposed  upon  the  processes  of 
the  finite  understanding.  Thenceforward  Faith  and 
Thought  unite  their  forces,  and  reason  together  con- 
cerning the  infinite,  as  though  it  had  been  an  original 
datum  of  the  thinking  faculty.  The  same  line  of  argu- 
ment might  be  pursued  in  regard  to  the  other 
attributes — wisdom,  holiness,  justice,  goodness,  and 
truth.  By  conception,  we  validly  apprehend  them  in 
their  finite  manifestations.  This  gives  us,  so  to  speak, 
their  quality,  under  the  imperfect  but  real  analogies 
presented  by  the  properties  of  our  own  being.  By 
faith  we  know  them  as  infinite.  And  then  the  irre- 
sistible inference  is  to  the  existence  of  an  Infinite  sub- 
stance, of  which  they  are  the  wholly  singular  and 
peculiar  properties.  It  deserves  to  be  remarked,  that 
in  this  account  of  the  mode  by  which  we  reach  the 
knowledge  of  the  Infinite,  I  have  described  the  reflec- 
tive rather  than  the  spontaneous  process.  So  much 
for  the  office  of  natural  faith  in  conducting  us,  upon 


418  The  Life  Work  of 

the  evidence  furnished  by  natural  revelation,  to  the 
knowledge  of  an  Infinite  God. 

2.  The  limits  of  this  discourse  will  allow  only  a 
brief  reference  to  the  distinctive  influence  of  super- 
natural faith  in  regard  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Infi- 
nite. And,  indeed,  it  is  not  necessary  to  prosecute  in 
detail  that  branch  of  the  inquiry,  for  the  reason  that 
what  has  been  said  of  the  office  of  natural  faith  may, 
by  an  easy  change  of  the  terms  and  relations  involved, 
be  applied  to  that  which  is  supernatural.  The  latter 
kind  of  faith  reaffirms  all  that  the  former  declares, 
and,  in  addition,  discharges  a  characteristic  office  in 
receiving  all  that  the  written  Word  and  the  Spirit 
reveal  of  the  infinite  perfections  of  God,  under  the 
transcendent  relations  of  Redemption.  The  apostle 
Paul  tells  us  that  "through  faith  we  understand  that 
the  worlds  were  framed  by  the  word  of  God,  so  that 
things  which  are  seen  were  not  made  of  things  which 
do  appear;"  and  that  "he  that  cometh  to  God  must 
believe  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  the  rewarder  of  such 
as  diligently  seek  him."  In  these  remarkable  words 
we  are  taught  that  there  are  truths  which,  though 
ihej  lie  beyond  the  range  of  the  discursive  faculties, 
are  known  by  faith.  The  existence  of  God,  the  crea- 
tion of  the  worlds  out  of  nothing,  the  infinite  moral 
government  of  the  Divine  Ruler,  and  his  infinite  per- 
fections as  the  supreme  object  of  worship,  are  all 
among  the  cognita  of  faith.  Our  blessed  Saviour  also 
teaches  that  this  mysterious  power  belongs  to  faith. 
"This,"  says  he,  "is  eternal  life,  that  they  may  know 
thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou 
hast  sent."  Thus  to  know  God,  is  to  know  him  as 
infinite,  for  only  an  infinite  is  the  true  God;  and  thus 
to  know  Jesus  Christ,  is  to  know  him  as  an  infinitely 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  419 

sufficient  and  merciful  Redeemer,  A  knowledge  of  the 
Infinite,  Paul  expressly  assigns  to  faith,  and  that  of 
which  our  Saviour  speaks  is  of  course  attributable 
alone  to  the  same  exalted  principle.  This  ought  to  set- 
tle the  question  of  the  cognoscibility  of  God  by  faith ; 
and,  I  humbly  conceive,  does  confirm  what  I  have 
claimed  for  the  office  of  faith  in  furnishing  the  infinite 
element  in  our  knowledge.  It  may  be  said,  however, 
that  faith  is  a  spiritual  conception.  In  a  sense,  this 
is  true.  When  the  believer  cognizes  the  facts  of  reve- 
lation w^hich  are  level  to  the  apprehension  of  the  unbe- 
liever, he  knows  them  after  a  spiritual  fashion  which 
is  impossible  to  the  latter.  But  there  are  other  ele- 
ments which  not  even  the  renewed  thinking  powers 
are  competent  to  understand.  It  is  a  supernatural 
faith,  as  distinguished  from  thought,  and  it  alone, 
which  apprehends  the  infinite  perfections  of  a  Redeem- 
ing God,  and  the  transcendent,  the  inconceivable  facts 
and  relations  and  ends  of  the  glorious  scheme  of 
redemption. 

It  only  remains  to  gather  up  the  results  of  this  dis- 
cussion, and  show  their  bearing  upon  the  question 
with  which  we  began — whether  the  fact  that  theology 
involves  an  infinite  element  bars  its  claims  to  be 
regarded  as  a  science.  It  is  urged  that  as  science  pro- 
ceeds by  definition,  the  infinite  cannot  be  made  an  ele- 
ment of  it,  because  to  define  it  is  to  limit  it,  and  that 
involves  a  contradiction.  The  difficulty  is  removed 
by  noting  the  distinction  between  logical  definition 
and  limitation  as  to  extent.  To  illustrate :  Unless  we 
take  the  ground  of  the  Pantheist,  we  must  distinguish 
the  divine  substance  from  all  created  substances.  He 
is  not  they,  and  they  are  not  he.  We  define,  but  we 
do  not  limit  the  divine  essence  as  to  extent.     It  is 


420  The  Life  Work  of 

immense,  and  contains  the  sum  of  all  being,  but  it  is 
different  from  finite  essence.  Further :  We  distinguish 
between  the  divine  attributes.  Justice,  for  example, 
is  not  mercy.  We  define,  but  we  do  not  limit  these 
attributes  as  to  extent.  They  coexist  as  equally  infi- 
nite, but  they  are  both  really  and  logically  distinguish- 
able. We  are  forced  to  do  this,  not  only  in  theological 
statement,  but  in  ordinary  preaching.  There  is  a 
sense,  therefore,  in  which  we  are  obliged  to  define  the 
infinite,  but  in  which  we  by  no  means  limit  it  as  to 
extent.  There  is,  then,  no  contradiction  emerging  on 
this  score  from  the  introduction  of  the  infinite  into 
the  scientific  procedure  of  theolog}^  A  distinction 
must  also  be  taken  between  different  sorts  of  knowl- 
edge of  the  Infinite  Being.  It  is  one  thing  to  say  that 
by  faith  we  know  the  fact  of  God's  existence,  and  quite 
another  that  we  know  the  lioic  of  his  existence — we 
know  that  his  essence  is,  but  not  how  it  is.  The  latter 
we  cannot  know,  for  we  are  not  God;  but  the  former 
we  not  only  may  but  do  know.  It  is  known  as  revealed 
to  faith.  It  is  susceptible  of  affirmation  and  nega- 
tion— may  be  made  a  term  of  human  judgments.  In 
like  manner,  a  divine  attribute  cannot  be  perfectly 
comprehended  by  us,  but  it  may  be  known  as  an  infi- 
nite perfection  by  faith;  and  as  known  may  be  made 
the  subject  or  the  predicate  of  a  proposition.  Concep- 
tion may  furnish  one  term  and  faith  the  other,  and 
3^et  the  proposition  be  valid.  For  example,  we  are 
entitled  to  make  the  affirmation:  the  justice  of  God  is 
infinite.  Conception  gives  justice,  a  particular  kind 
of  perfection,  as  the  subject,  and  faith  gives  the  term 
infinite  as  predicable  of  justice.  Here,  then,  we  have 
an  infinite  element  as  a  valid  constituent  of  a  premise, 
and  as  other  premises  may  be  constructed  in  the  same 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  421 

way,  legitimate  conclusions  may  be  drawn.  But  if  we 
may  reason  about  the  infinite  and  from  the  infinite,  it 
is  manifest  that  it  may  constitute  a  valid  element  in 
human  science,  under  the  limitations,  however,  which 
have  been  pointed  out.  To  all  this  it  may  be  objected 
that  it  involves  a  mere  juggle  of  words — that  the  term 
infinite  is  a  symbol  of  nothing  real  and  positive,  but 
represents  only  a  bald  negation.  We  deceive  ourselves 
by  the  "fatal  imposture"  of  words.  Then,  if  that  be 
so,  an  infinite  God  means  nothing,  and  infinite  guilt 
means  nothing,  and  infinite  mercy  means  nothing,  and 
nothing  an  infinite  Saviour  and  an  infinite  salvation. 
They  are  mere  negative  conceptions;  at  best  but  pro- 
tests in  thought  against  the  absolute  restrictions 
implied  in  positive  affirmations  of  the  thinking  reason. 
No  doubt  it  would  be  pleasant  to  some  to  get  quit  of 
an  eternal  hell  as  a  mere  negative  concept,  a  grim  play 
upon  words;  and  that^  it  is  likely,  is  the  end  sought  by 
the  objection ;  but  we  insist  on  an  infinite  Redemption 
and.  an  eternal  heaven  as  something  more  than  a  mere 
charlatanry,  a  petty  quackery,  of  terms.  It  deserves 
to  be  carefully  considered  by  those  who  either  deny 
the  knowledge  of  the  Infinite  altogether,  or  affirm 
what  is  impossible  and  must  have  a  terrible  recoil — 
that  mere  thought  can  furnish  us  that  knowledge — 
what  a  practical  sweep  these  positions  imply.  They 
threaten  the  foundations  of  both  natural  and  super- 
natural religion.  But  if  we  are  made  to  know  God, 
and  not  to  know  him  as  infinite  is  not  properly  to 
know  him  at  all ;  if  he  has  laid  deep  in  the  very  ground- 
forms  of  the  human  soul  a  fundamental  faith  adapt- 
ing us  to  that  knowledge ;  if  he  has  so  constructed  our 
powers  as  by  the  very  virtue  of  their  energies  to  con- 
duct us  to  it,  and  if  he  has  been  pleased  more  fuUv  and 


422  The  Life  AVork  of 

explicitly  to  reveal  it  to  us  in  his  written  AVord — what 
hinders  that,  in  the  employment  of  our  reasoning 
powers,  which  were  made  with  an  adaptation  to  order 
and  system,  we  should  attempt  to  arrange  and  digest 
that  knowledge  into  a  theoretical  and  practical  science 
of  religion  ?  If  the  term  infinite  has  no  corresponding 
reality,  it  is  of  course  admitted  that  there  can  be  no 
science  which  invoh-es  an  infinite  element ;  but  it  also 
follows  that  there  can  be  to  us  no  God.  But  if  the 
knowledge  of  the  infinite  Being  and  his  infinite  per- 
fections be  a  real  and  not  a  delusive  human  knowledge, 
it  may,  under  proper  restrictions,  be  made  the  sub- 
ject of  scientific  treatment,  both  inductive  and  deduc- 
tive. Xot  only  does  the  theologian  act  upon  this 
assumption,  but  every  preacher  of  the  gospel  proceeds 
upon  it.  He  reasons  concerning  the  Infinite  induc- 
tively when,  for  example,  by  a  collation  of  infinite 
titles  and  attributes  and  works,  he  establishes  the 
divinitv  of  Christ  or  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  reasons  con- 
cerning it  deductively,  whenever,  in  reply  to  the  dif- 
ficulty of  the  sinner  that  his  sins  are  infinitely  great 
and  deserve  infinite  reprobation,  he  infers  the  possi- 
bility of  his  pardon  from  the  infinite  mercy  of  God, 
from  an  infinite  atonement,  and  from  the  infinite 
ability  and  willingness  of  Jesus  Christ  to  save.  It  is 
obvious  that  there  is  a  sense  in  which  the  Infinite  not 
only  may,  but  does  and  must  enter  into  the  reasoning 
processes  of  the  human  mind.  That  being  conceded, 
the  possibility  of  a  science  of  theology  is  granted. 
Soberly  and  reverently  to  reason  about  God  is  not  to 
dishonor  him;  not  to  do  it  is  to  degrade  ourselves. 

This  is  the  science  of  sciences  which  the  theological 
instructor  is  called  to  teach.  It  deals  with  the  high 
problems  of  the  infinite,  the  unchangeable,  the  eternal. 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  423 

as  well  as  with  questions  adjusted  to  the  measures  of 
the  finite  intelligence.  It  lays  under  tribute  every 
other  science,  subordinates  its  lessons  to  its  supreme 
religious  end,  and,  recapitulating  the  resources  of  all 
into  its  own  grand  unity,  it  offers  the  collected  results  in 
adoring  worship  before  the  altar  of  God.  Exploring 
three  worlds  in  the  scope  of  its  mighty  induction,  exam- 
ining by  its  analysis  the  doctrines  of  Natural  Relig- 
ion, and  the  sublimer  principles  of  Redemption,  it 
employs  its  comprehensive  synthesis  in  the  construc- 
tion of  a  system  which  refuses  to  be  a  cold  and  formal 
digest,  and  rises,  step  by  step,  into  an  immortal  epic, 
moving  to  the  passionate  notes  of  a  triumphal  anthem, 
and  pouring  its  rich  and  thrilling  doxologies  into  the 
ear  of  the  Triune  God.  Not  confined  within  temporal 
limits,  death  will  lay  no  arrest  upon  its  quest  of  truth, 
but  translated  with  the  glorified  Church  into  the  eter- 
nal sphere,  it  will  develop  its  principles  through  the 
everlasting  ages.  The  infinite  perfections  of  God  will 
be  its  text-book,  Redemption  its  transcendent  theme, 
Heaven  its  seminary,  and  Eternity  its  time  of  study. 

NOTES. 

p.  399.  In  the  remarks  made  upon  the  relation  of  faith  to  reason, 
and  the  denial  of  any  generic  difference  between  them,  the  term 
reason  is  not  employed  specifically,  as  designating  either  the  noetic  or 
the  dianoetic  faculty.  It  appears  to  me  illegitimate  to  treat  reason 
as  no  more  than  the  discursive  understanding.  It  is  more  comprehen- 
sive than  the  faculty  of  reasoning.  What  has  been  here  maintained  is, 
that  faith  is  a  function  of  reason  in  its  widest  sense.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, intended  to  confine  faith  to  the  domain  of  the  intellect  proper. 
It  would  seem  to  involve  the  feelings  in  the  form  of  the  special  emo- 
tion of  trust.  Faith  is  an  intellectual  exercise,  so  far  forth  as  it  is  a 
conviction  of  the  existence  of  a  being  or  of  the  truth  of  a  proposition. 
It  is  a  feeling,  so  far  forth  as  it  involves  trust  in  any  being,  or  con- 
fidence in  the  truth  of  any  proposition.  This  is  true  of  supernatural 
faith,  and,  for  aught  that  appears  to  the  contrary,  is  truth  also  of  nat- 
ural faith.  In  both  cases  an  intellectual  and  an  emotional  function 
are  discharged  in  one  concrete,  personal  act.     But  to  contradistinguish 


424  The  Life  Work  of 


faith  from  reason,  or  to  place  it  in  antagonism  to  right  reason,  is  to 
strip  it  of  its  most  fundamental  feature — an  intelligent  assent  to 
truth. 

P.  401.  In  the  first  draft  of  the  preceding  Address,  the  term  cogni- 
tion was  used  in  what  was  admitted  to  be  a  strict  and  narrow  sense. 
As  an  act,  it  was  contradistinguished  from  faith  as  a  certain  kind  of 
knowing  ;  and  as  a  result,  from  the  knowledge  which  is  distinctively 
the  product  of  faith.  A  term  was  needed  which  would  group  inlo 
unity,  and  compendiously  express,  all  the  acts  of  the  mind  by  which  it 
knows,  excepting  faith.  Conception  was  too  narrow,  as  excluding  per- 
ception on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other,  judgment,  and  reasoning. 
Nor  did  the  term  thought  appear  to  be  wide  enough,  for,  strictly 
speaking,  it  does  not  include  percepts,  but  begins  with  concepts  ;  and 
in  adopting  it,  for  the  sake  of  clearness,  in  the  present  form  of  the 
Address,  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  employ  some  circumloculion. 
Cognition,  in  a  limited  signification,  answered  the  purpose  ;  and  there 
was  high  authority  for  that  manner  of  using  it.  Sir  William  Hamil- 
ton (Discussions,  p.  578),  says:  "Thinking  (employing  that  term  as 
comprehending  all  our  cognitive  energies)  is  of  two  kinds.  "  Again, 
(Discussions,  p.  608),  he  says:  "Of  things  absolutely  or  in  them- 
selves, be  they  external,  be  they  internal,  we  know  nothing,  or  know 
them  only  as  incognisable."  It  must  be  conceded,  however,  that  the 
prevalent  usage  is  adverse  to  this  restricted  employment  of  the  term, 
and  the  Address  has  been  recast  so  as  to  eliminate  the  ambiguity  occa- 
sioned by  it,  and  to  render  unnecessary  a  mere  criticism  of  words. 

P.  404.  Sir  William  Hamilton,  the  most  pronounced  advocate  of  the 
existence  of  fundamental  laws  of  belief,  as  original  principles  in  the 
constitution  of  the  human  mind,  expressly  excepts  the  law  of  causality 
from  that  category.  While  admitting  the  necessity  of  the  causal  judg- 
ment, he  denies  that  it  is  the  result  of  an  original  principle.  The  law 
which  demands  a  cause  for  every  thing  which  begins  to  be,  he  main- 
tains, is  one  which  is  derived  from  experience.  It  is  but  a  special 
application  of  the  great  law  of  the  Conditioned,  viz.  :  that  positive 
thought  lies  between  two  contradictory  extremes,  neither  of  which  can 
be  conceived  as, possible,  but  one  of  which,  on  the  principle  of  Excluded 
Middle,  must  be  admitted  as  true.  The  positive  thought  of  cause, 
accordingly,  lies  between  two  contradictory  extremes  :  one,  the  fact  of 
an  absolute  commencement ;  the  other,  the  fact  of  an  infinite  non-com- 
raencement.  Neither  of  these  extremes  is  conceivable.  But  the  fact  of 
an  absolute  commencement  must  be  admitted  to  be  true,  on  the  ground 
that  consciousness  affirms  it  in  the  case  of  every  free  act  of  the  will. 
Consciousness  attests  the  fact  that  what  thus  begins  to  be,  absolutely 
begins  to  be,  that  is,  it  is  not  related  to  anything  previously  existing 
which  determines  it.  Now  this  fact,  vouched  for  by  a  deliverance  of 
consciousness,  beyond  which  there  can  be  no  appeal,  is  inconceivable. 
The  mind  is  impotent  to  think  it.  It  is  unable  to  think  that  anything 
which  appears  to  begin  to  exist  is  an  addition  to  the  sum  of  exist- 
ence. This  impotence  of  mind  necessitates  the  judgment  that  what 
thus  appears  to  begin  to  exist  in  one  form,  must  have  had  a  previous 
existence  in  another   form, — that  is,   that  the  existence  of  a  thing  in 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  425 

one  form  is  caused  bj^  its  existence  in  another  form.  Tiius  it  is  shown 
that  the  causal  judgment — the  positive  thought  of  cause — lies  between 
two  contradictory  and  inconceivable  extremes,  one  of  which,  however, 
is  proved  to  be  true  by  the  testimony  of  consciousness,  viz. :  the  fact 
of  an  absolute  commencement.  But  the  inability  of  the  mind  to  think 
that  fact,  necessitates  the  postulation  of  a  cause  for  everything  which 
appears  to  begin  to  exist.  This,  in  brief,  is  Hamilton's  account  of  the 
genesis  of  the  causal  notion.  Now,  argues  he,  the  alleged  existence  of 
an  original  law  of  belief,  which  necessitates  the  positive  affirmation 
that  everything  which  begins  to  be  must  have  had  a  cause,  is  contra- 
dicted by  the  deliverance  of  the  fact  of  an  absolute  commencement  by 
consciousness.  Unless,  therefore,  consciousness  lies,  the  existence  of 
such  an  original  principle  must  be  denied. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  argument  is  based  upon  the  assumption 
that  consciousness  gives  the  fact  of  an  absolute  commencement.  The 
only  proof  of  the  fact  which  Hamilton  adduces  is  the  consciousness  of 
it.  Now,  if  it  can  be  shown  that  we  can  have  no  consciousness  of  the 
alleged  fact,  it  must  be  abandoned  as  destitute  of  proof  ;  for  if,  as  he 
says,  it  is  inconceivable,  it  is  beyond  the  reach  of  the  discursive  under- 
standing. That  we  cannot  be  conscious  of  an  absolute  commencement 
may,  I  humbly  submit,  be  evinced  upon  Hamilton's  elaborately  estab- 
lished opinions  as  to  consciousness  taken  into  connection  with  his 
express  admissions  in  this  argument. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  he  explicitly  admits  that  the  fact  of  an  absolute 
commencement  is  inconceivable — that  it  cannot  be  thought.  Now,  if 
as  he  affirms,  we  are  conscious  of  an  absolute  commencement,  it  would 
follow  that  we  are  conscious  of  what  is  inconceivable,  of  what  is  impos- 
sible to  thought.  But  his  own  doctrine  is,  that  thought  and  conscious- 
ness are  concurrent  and  inseparable.  Consciousness,  he  contends,  is 
the  condition  of  all  thinking,  feeling,  willing,  etc.  ;  in  a  word,  of  all 
our  mental  acts.  There  can  be  no  mental  act  without  consciousness, 
and,  of  course,  there  can  be  no  consciousness  of  an  act,  if  the  act  does 
not  exist.  But  in  this  case,  consciousness  and  thought  are  divorced. 
The  consciousness  of  an  absolute  commencement  conditions  no  thought ; 
it  conditions  the  vacancy  of  thought.  There  is  no  act  of  thinking,  for, 
ex  hypothesi,  the  fact  is  unthinkable.  There  can  be,  consequently,  no 
consciousness  of  an  absolute  commencement. 

Nor  will  it  do  to  say  that  we  may  be  conscious  of  a  belief  in  the  fact 
though  it  be  inconceivable  ;  for  Hamilton  grounds  the  belief  of  the  fact 
in  the  consciousness  of  it,  and  not  the  consciousness  of  it  mediately  in 
the  belief  of  it. 

2.  In  the  second  place,  Hamilton  expressly  and  formally  teaches  that 
consciousness  is  only  possible  in  cases  in  which  immediate  knowledge 
is  involved.  We  are  conscious  only  of  that  which  we  immediately 
know.  And,  in  this  relation,  he  uses  the  terms  intuitive  knowledge, 
presentative  knowledge,  and  immediate  knoicledge,  as  equivalents. 
There  can  be  no  mistake  as  to  his  doctrine  upon  this  subject.  He 
illustrates  it  very  clearly  in  the  case  in  which  we  reproduce  a  past 
event  in  memory.  The  event  itself,  as  past,  is  mediately  known 
through  a  vicarious  representation  of  it  in  the  mind.  What  we  imme- 
diately know,  is  not  the  past  event,  but  the  mental  modification  which 


426  The  Life  AYork  of 


represents  it.  Now,  saj's  Hamilton,  we  are  conscious  of  the  repre- 
senting image  as  immediately  known,  but  of  the  past  event  itself,  as 
only  mediately  known,  we  have  no  consciousness.  If,  then,  we  are 
conscious  of  the  fact  of  an  absolute  commencement,  it  follows  directly 
from  his  own  doctrine  that  it  is  immediately  known — that  it  is  intui- 
tively and  presentatively  given.  If  so,  as  it  is  face  to  face  with  us, 
we  perceive  it,  and,  of  course,  can  subsequently  construe  it  in  thought. 
It  is  first  perceivable  and  then  conceivable.  But  Hamilton  contends 
that  the  fact  of  an  absolute  commencement  is  inconceivable.  It  is  one 
of  the  contradictory  and  inconceivable  extremes  between  which  lies  the 
positive  concept  of  cause.  We  have  then  upon  his  principles  an  incon- 
ceivable fact  apprehended  in  an  act  of  immediate,  presentative  knowl- 
edge. There  is  here  a  manifest  contradiction,  and  the  argument  which 
evinces  it  is  very  simple  :  We  cannot  be  conscious  of  anything  which 
is  not  immediately  known  ;  but  an  absolute  commencement,  as  incon- 
ceivable, cannot  be  immediately  known  ;  therefore,  we  cannot  be  con- 
scious of  it. 

We  have,  therefore,  as  flowing  from  Hamilton's  doctrine  of  conscious- 
ness, the  conclusion  that  we  cannot  be  conscious  of  an  absolute  com- 
mencement ;  and  we  have  his  strong  assertion,  in  this  argument  con- 
cerning the  origin  of  the  causal  judgment,  that  we  are  conscious  of  it. 
It  is  difficult  to  imagine  so  astute  a  thinker  as  Hamilton  slipping  into 
a  flagrant  self-contradiction,  and  the  presumption  is  so  strong  against 
this  supposition  that  one  is  disposed  to  suspect  some  fatal  flaw  in  the 
reasoning  which  appears  to  unmask  it.  It  seems,  however,  but  too  con- 
clusive. If,  then,  there  be  a  contradiction  between  the  two  statements 
thus  contrasted,  it  would  follow,  in  accordance  with  the  law  which 
Hamilton  himself  so  strongly  enforces,  viz.  :  that  of  two  contradic- 
tories one  only  can  and  must  be  true,  that  only  one  of  the  contradic- 
tories here  signalised  can  be  true.  In  making  the  election  we  cannot 
hesitate.  The  position  that  consciousness  only  exists  in  cases  of  imme- 
diate knowledge  is  the  most  clearly  established ;  and  we  are,  conse- 
quently, forced  to  reject  the  contradictory  supposition  of  a  conscious- 
ness of  an  absolute  commencement  as  wholly  untenable.  At  least,  it 
must,  upon  Hamilton's  principles,  be  denied. 

If,  now,  we  are  obliged  to  abandon  the  hypothesis  of  the  conscious- 
ness of  an  absolute  commencement,  the  only  ground  alleged  for  holding 
it  as  a  fact  is  destroyed.  There  being  no  consciousness  of  it,  it  can- 
not be  proved  to  exist — it  is  to  us  zero.  But  as  Hamilton  finds  the 
empirical  origin  of  the  causal  judgment  in  our  inability  to  think  an 
absolute  commencement,  and  that  is  nothing,  it  would  follow  that  our 
impotence  to  think  nothing  must  result  in  nothing.  His  account  of 
the  origin  of  the  notion  of  causation  breaks  down.  It  is  not  likely 
that  any  similar  attempt  to  assign  the  law  to  an  empirical  source  will 
prove  more  successful  than  that  of  this  great  thinker ;  and  we  fall 
back  on  the  theory  which  ranks  the  law  of  causality  among  the  origi- 
nal and  fundamental  principles  of  our  mental  constitution.  The  hand 
that  pulls  the  laniard  may  be  a  feeble  one,  but  if  it  discharges  Hamil- 
ton's own  battery,  it  must  succeed  in  demolishing  his  celebrated  struc- 
ture of  an  Absolute  Commencement.  The  fact  would  seem  to  be  that 
his  famous  speculation  upon  this  subject  fails  to  exhibit  even  the  con- 


John  L.  Girardeau,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  427 

ditions  of  experience  upon  which  the  causal  judgment  is  elicited.  All 
that  is  necessary  is,  not  only  that  a  phenomenal  change,  but  that  the 
existence  of  anything  be  perceived.  That  occasions  the  positive  infer- 
ence that  it  must  have  had  a  cause,  and  that  affirmation  is  grounded  in 
a  fundamental  law  of  belief. 

P.  408.  Dr.  Calderwood,  in  his  Philosophy  of  the  Infinite,  which  I 
had  not  read  before  the  delivery  of  this  Address,  maintains  that  we 
have  an  immediate  knowledge  of  God,  and'  it  would  follow  from  that 
position  that  we  have  a  consciousness  of  Him.  On  the  contrary,  I 
have  endeavored  to  show  that  while  we  have,  by  faith,  a  real  and 
valid  knowledge  of  God,  that  knowledge  is  mediate  and  not  immediate. 
It  is  evident  that  as  we  cannot  directly  perceive  Him,  we  can  have  no 
consciousness  of  Him  as  an  object  perceived.  Nor,  if  we  admit  that  we 
cannot  conceive  or  think  Him,  can  we  be  conscious  of  Him  as  an  object 
conceived  or  thought.  But,  if  we  do  know  Him,  as  infinite,  by  faith, 
the  question  might  be  suggested  whether  we  may  not  be  conscious  of 
Him  as  an  object  believed — whether  there  may  not  be  what  might  be 
called  a  faith-consciousness  of  God.  That  question  will,  perhaps,  be 
best  answered  by  a  reference  to  the  distinction  between  our  knowledge 
of  substance,  and  of  its  phenomenal  qualities.  We  are  not  directly  con- 
scious of  our  own  substance,  either  spiritual  or  material ;  that  is,  we 
are  not  directly  conscious  either  of  the  substance  of  our  souls  or  of 
that  of  our  bodies  ;  but  only  of  the  qualities  which  respectively  mani- 
fest these  substances.  What  then?  We  believe  in  the  existence  of  the 
substances  in  which  the  qualities  inhere.  Of  course,  as  that  belief  is 
an  energy  of  the  mind  in  operation,  we  are  conscious  of  it.  Now  does 
it  follow  that  in  being  conscious  of  the  belief  we  are  conscious  of  its 
objects,  viz.:  the  substances  believed  to  exist?  This  brings  us  to  the 
last  analysis.  If  Hamilton's  doctrine  be  true,  that  there  can  be  no 
consciousness  where  there  is  no  immediate  knowledge,  then  we  are  not 
conscious  of  substance.  Phenomenal  qualities  are  immediately  given 
and  we  are  conscious  of  them,  whether  mental  or  material.  We  then 
believe  in  the  substance  so  manifested,  that  is,  mediately  given  through 
the  qualities.  The  faith  is  an  object  of  consciousness  because  one  of 
immediate  knowledge,  but  the  substance  believed,  not  being  immediately, 
but  mediately  known,  is  not  an  object  of  consciousness. 

This  line  of  argument  will  appl-y  with  increased  emphasis  to  our 
knowledge  of  God.  We  are  conscious  of  perceiving  the  phenomenal 
manifestations  of  His  attributes.  Granted  that  we  are  also  conscious 
of  these  phenomenal  manifestations,  what  then?  We  believe  in  the 
attributes  so  manifested.  That,  I  think,  is  the  first  step.  We  are 
conscious  of  the  act  of  faith  as  immediately  known,  but  not  of  the 
attributes  as  mediately  known.  But  given  the  attributes,  we  neces- 
sarily believe  in  the  substance  of  God,  to  which  the  attributes  belong. 
We  are  conscious  of  that  second  step  in  faith,  but  we  are  not  conscious 
of  the  substance  of  God,  because  it  is  not  immediately  but  only  medi- 
ately given.  In  short,  neither  our  own  substance  nor  the  suDstance  of 
God  is  presentatively  known  and  consequently  an  object  of  conscious- 
ness. This  view  would  seem  to  be  clear.  We  may  raise  the  question, 
as  between  Reid  and  Hamilton,  whether  in  being  conscious  of  our  per- 
ception of  an  object  we  are  also  conscious  of  the  object  itself,  in  the 


428  The  Life  Work  of 


same  concrete  act.  We  might,  with  Reid,  deny  ;  and  then  the  preced- 
ing argument  would,  of  course,  be  strengthened.  For,  if  in  being  con- 
scious of  the  act  of  perception  we  are  not  conscious  of  the  object  per- 
ceived, then,  in  being  conscious  of  the  act  of  faith  we  are  not  conscious 
of  the  object  in  which  we  believe.  But  if  we  admit  the  doctrine  of 
Hamilton  and  most  philosophers,  it  does  not,  because,  in  being  con- 
scious of  perception  we  are  conscious  of  the  object  perceived,  follow 
that  in  being  conscious  of  faith  we  are  conscious  of  the  object  in  which 
we  believe.  This,  in  the  case  of  objects  mediately  known,  Hamilton 
denies.  Yet  he  often  speaks  elliptically  of  self-consciousness.  What  I 
conceive  his  phraseology,  if  expanded,  would  strictly  mean,  is,  that  we 
are  conscious  of  attributes  from  which  we  immediately  and  irresistibly 
infer  our  selfhood.  Dr.  Mansel,  however,  expressly  avows  and  defends 
the  doctrine  that  we  are  directly  conscious  of  self — that  is,  if  it  mean 
anything  of  the  substantive  existence  of  the  Ego.  But  even  he  makes 
the  consciousness  of  self  an  exception  to  the  law  that  we  are  not  con- 
scious of  substance.  He  fails  to  prove  his  extraordinary  position,  and 
opens  the  way  of  the  Absolutist  hypothesis — which  he  vehemently 
assails — of  the  immediate  knowledge  of  the  Divine  substance. 

We  believe  in  the  Infinite  God.  Thus  we  know  Him  mediately  but 
validly.  As  He  is  not  presentatively  given  in  His  essence,  we  cannot 
be  directly  conscious  of  Him.  We  are  conscious  of  His  blessed  mani- 
festations of  Himself  to  us  and  in  us,  and  we  immediately  and  neces- 
sarily infer  His  attributes,  His  existence,  and  our  relations  to  Him. 
This  doctrine  is  safe — it  is  one  which  nature  and  the  Scriptures 
concur  in  teaching.  To  say  that  we  cannot  know  God  at  all  Is  to 
sweep  away  the  foundations  of  religion ;  to  say  that  we  can  think 
Him,  with  our  narrow  grasp  of  conception,  is  either  to  deny  practi- 
cally that  we  can  know  Him,  or  to  make  with  the  philosopher  of  the 
Absolute  our  knowledge  commensurate  with  that  of  God — to  raise 
the  finite  to  the  Infinite,  or  to  reduce  the  Infinite  to  the  finite.  We 
know  His  manifestations  by  thought,  we  know  Him  as  infinite  by 
faith.  And  in  claiming  this  wondrous  power  for  faith,  we  do  not 
confound  a  knowledge  of  the  Infinite  with  an  infinite  knowledge,  a 
faith  in  the  Infinite  with  an  infinite  faith.  It  may  increase  in  inten- 
sity, though  not  in  extension.  It  can  never  give  more  than  the  Infinite 
and  that  it  gives  now  ;  but  it  may  more  give  the  Infinite  and  that 
eternally,  more  and  more.  On  the  other  hand.  Thought  knows  the 
finite.  In  its  grand  nisus,  it  will  ever  strive  to  reach  the  Infinite, 
but  never  will.  The  comprehension  of  conception  will  expand  for- 
ever, but  to  eternity  will  only  give  the  finite.  Else  comprehending 
God,  we  would  have  nothing  more  to  know. 


INDEX 


Adger,  John   B. 

Opposed,  like  Dr.  Girardeau,  to 
Instrumental  Music  iij  Pub- 
lic Worship,  141 ;  Relation 
of  to  Dr.  Girardeau's  Work 
for  Negroes,  31  ;  The  Father 
of  New  Book  of  Church  Or- 
der, 220. 

Adger,  Robert 

Offer  to  Dr.  Girardeau  in  Early 
Ministry,  34. 

Blackburn,   George  A. 

Author  of  Articles  on  Ancestry 
and  Boyhood  of  Dr.  Girar- 
deau, 7 ;  on  Conversion  and 
Early  Ministry  of  Dr.  Girar- 
deau, 22 ;  on  Examples  of 
Poems  and  Other  Writings, 
345  ;  on  The  Man,  366 ;  oU 
Work  Among  Negroes,  72. 

Son-in-law  of  Dr.  Girardeau, 
28. 

Successor  as  Pastor  of  Arsenal 
Hill  Church,  377. 
Bryan,  W.   S.  P. 

Gives  Dr.  Girardeau's  Views  of 
Prophecy,  372   et  seq. 

"Calvinism    and    Evangelical    Ar- 
minianism,"  322,  337. 

Columbia  Theological  Seminary 
Call  as  Professor  of  Theology 
to,  157  ;  Controlled  by  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  166 ;  Found- 
ed, 164  ;  Historical  Work  of, 
165  ;  Most  Honored  Son, 
339 ;  Predecessors  in  Chair 
of  Theology,  166 ;  Professor 
in,  164 ;  Reasons  Given  by 
Dr.  Girardeau  for  Accepting 
Professorship  in  Columbia 
Seminary,  168-173  ;  Student 
at  Columbia  Seminary,  25  ; 
Spirit    in    which    Dr.    Girar- 


deau   Entered    Upon    Profes- 
sorship,  173-174. 

Deacon 

View    of    Dr.    Girardeau    as    to 
Office  of,  220  et  seq. 
"Discussions       of       Philosophical 
Questions,"  187,  337,  365  ;  Cor- 
rects  Errors  of   Hamilton  in, 
190  et  seq. 
"Discussions  of  Theological  Ques- 
tions," 337,  365. 

Education 

Change  of  Views  as  to  Relation 
of  Church  to  Education,  229. 
Evolution   Controversy 

Action  of  Synods  on,  281  ;  His- 
tory of,  231-285 ;  Speeches 
of  Dr.  Girardeau  on,  234-280. 

Federal   Theology 

"Federal  Theology :  Its  Im- 
portant and  Regulative  In- 
fluence"— Address  on,  177  et 
seq.  ;  Held  by  Dr.  Girardeau, 
177  ;  Key  to  Election,  Lim- 
ited Atonement — Effectual 
Calling  and  Perseverance  of 
Saints,  185. 

"Freedom   of  Will  in   Theological 
Relations,"  301-302,  337,  365. 

Girardeau,   John  Lafayette 

Ancestry,  8-10 ;  Arsenal  Hill 
Church,  Dr.  Girardeau's  Pas- 
torate of,  376 ;  at  Charles- 
ton College,  22 ;  Call  to 
Columbia  Theological  Semin- 
ary, 157  ;  Charleston  College, 
Student  at,  24  ;  Children,  27- 
28  ;  Christian,  208  ;  Church 
in  Views  of,  209 ;  Confed- 
erate Chaplain,  106  ;  Conver- 
sationalist,  127-128  ;    Conver- 


430 


Index 


sion,  22-24  ;  Death,  377-378  ; 
Early  Years,  10 ;  Exciting 
Circumstances  in  His  Min- 
istry, 101-104 ;  Father  and 
Mother,  10-11,  14-15 ;  First 
School,  12 ;  First  Pastorate, 
26 ;  Funeral,  378  ;  Gifts  of, 
51-52  ;  Humorous  Incidents 
on  Ministry  to  the  Negroes, 
104  ;  Licensure,  26  ;  Love  for 
South  Carolina,  59-61  ;  Me- 
morial of  Charleston  Presby- 
tery, 379-387  ;  Moderator  of 
General  Assembly,  255  ;  Man, 
366-392  ;  Marriage,  27  ;  Pas- 
tor of  Glebe  Street  Church, 
137-163  ;  Prayer  with  Dying 
Federal  Soldiers,  118  ; 
Preacher,  52-58,  124-127, 
137-144,  208 ;  Preaching  to 
Soldiers,  118 ;  Presbyter, 
149,  208-230  ;  Prisoner,  133  ; 
Professor,  164  ;  Reasons  for 
Working  for  Negroes,  68-72  ; 
Reasons  for  Accepting  Call 
to  Columbia  Seminary,  168- 
173 ;  Rescued  from  Death 
when  a  Youth,  12-13  :  Resig- 
nation as  Pastor  of  Glebe  St. 
Church,  150-156,  159-163 ; 
Resignation  as  Professor  in 
Columbia  Seminary,  206- 
207  ;  Second  School,  15-18  ; 
Sermon  on  "Judgment  Day", 
122-124,  208-209  ;  Sermon  on 
Sunday  after  Death  of  Jef- 
ferson Davis,  130-131  ;  Slave 
Owner,  63-65,  395 ;  Student 
at  Columbia  Seminary,  24-25  ; 
Teacher,  158,  203-296;  The- 
ological Views,  177-185  ; 
Third  School,  18 ;  Theolo- 
gian, 209,  304-340  :  Tutor  in 
Christ  Church  Parish,  24 ; 
Wilton  Church  Served  as 
Second  Pastorate,  28-29  ; 
Work  for  Negroes,  32-105 ; 
Work  While  Student  at  Co- 
lumbia  Seminary,  25. 


Glebe  Street  Church 

Conditions  on  Which  Dr.  Girar- 
deau Became  Pastor,  140 ; 
Consolidated  with  White 
Congregation  of  Zion  Church, 
136  ;  Preaching  After  War  to 
Zion  Church,   143. 

Gospel  Ministry 

Dr.  Girardeau's  Success  in 
Leading  Men  Into  Ministry. 
147  ;  Views  of  Dr.  Girardeau 
as  to,  216  et  seq. 

Hall,  W.  T. 

Author  of  Article  on  "The  Sem- 
inary  Professor",   164-207. 
Hay,  Thos.   P. 

Estimate  of  Dr.  Girardeau  as  a 
Teacher  by,   203   et  seq. 
Howe,  George,  D.  D.  LL.  D. 
Fellow-Professor        with        Dr. 
Girardeau    on    Value    of    Co- 
lumbia Seminary,  165,  166. 

Imagination,  one  of  Dr.  Girar- 
deau's Chief  Powers,  341  ;  Early 
Imaginative  Writings,  341-346  ; 
Poems  Inspired  by  Southern 
Cause,  346-350. 

"Instrumental  Music  in  the  Pub- 
lic Worship  of  the  Church," 
364-365. 

Instrumental  Music  Opposed  to  in 
God's  House,  216. 

In   Thesi  Deliverances 

Famous  Debate  on  Value  of, 
223  et  seq. 

Jones,   Edward  C. 

Author    of    Article    on    "Work 
Among  Negroes,"  31  et  seq. 
Justification 

Actual  and  Virtual,  180  et  seq. 

Law,   Thos.   H. 

Author  of  Article  on  Pastorate 
After  War,  133  et  seq. 


Index 


431 


Mack,  Joseph  B. 

Author    of    Article    on    "Work 
Among  Negroes,"   51-71  ;    Co- 
pastor  with  Dr.  Girardeau  of 
Zion    Church,    143. 
McLaurin,  D.  W. 

Author   of   Article   on   "Confed- 
erate Chaplain,"  105-138. 
Man,  the 

Christian  and  Man  of  God,  371  ; 
Friend,  366-368  ;  Habits  as  a 
Student,  368-369  ;  Home  Life, 
366 ;  Incidents  Connected 
with  Preaching,  369-370;  In- 
tellectual, Emotional  and 
Moral  Powers,  371 ;  Physical 
Appearance,  366. 
Missions 

Enthusiasm  for  Home  and  For- 
eign, 218  et  seq. 
Mission  Schools 

Dr.  Girardeau's  Method  of  Con- 
ducting, 147-148. 

Negroes 

Dr.  Girardeau's  Letter  to  Dr. 
Mallard  on  Negro  Work,  73- 
81  ;  Dr.  Girardeau's  Report 
on  Negro  Work,  35-51  ;  Needs 
of,  61-63  ;  Plan  of  Work  for, 
32-33,  35-51  ;  Results  of  Dr. 
Girardeau's  Work  for,  65-68  ; 
Singing  of  Negroes,  33  ; 
White  Attendants  on  Negro 
Church,  33 ;  Views  of  Dr. 
Girardeau  on  Work  for,  215  ; 
Work  Among,  31-106. 

Palmer,  B.   M. 

Letter  from  on  Occasion  of  Dr. 
Girardeau's  Death,  390 ; 
Nominates  Dr.  Girardeau  as 
Professor  in  Columbia  Sem- 
inary, 167  ;  One  of  the  Three 
Greatest  South  Carolina 
Preachers,   139. 

Philosophy 

Consciousness  as  Expounded  by 
Dr.  Girardeau,  289-291  ;  Ex- 
tent   of   Dr.    Girardeau's    De- 


terminism, 297-298  ;  Explan- 
ation of  First  Sin,  299-300 ; 
Mediate  Knowledge,  291-292; 
Motives  as  Final  Instead  of 
Efficient  Causes,  301  ;  Nature 
of  Faith,  291-295,  399-400; 
Reasons  Why  His  Reputation 
as  Philosopher  is  for  a  Time 
Obscured,  285  ;  Standpoint  as 
Philosopher,  287  ;  Validity  of 
Our  Knowledge  of  Infinite, 
406-419  ;  Will,  295. 

Poems  by  Dr.  Girardeau,  345-364. 

Prophecy,  Views  of  Dr.  Girardeau 
on,   372   et  seq. 

Reid,  B.  P. 

Estimate  of  Dr.  Girardeau  as  a 
Teacher  by,  205  et  seq. 
Revival,  Great 

Regarded  as  Greatest  in  Dr. 
Girardeau's  Ministry,  99-100. 

Sabbath   School 

Methods    of    Dr.    Girardeau    in 

Sabbath    School    Work,    144- 

146. 
"Sermons  on  Important  Subjects," 

364. 

Thornwell,  J.   H. 

Influence  on  Dr.  Girardeau, 
307  ;  Joined  with  Girardeau, 
339  ;  Rank  as  Preacher,  139. 

Theologian 

Biblical  Character  of  Dr.  Girar- 
deau as  Theologian,  305 ; 
Confessional  Theologian,  306  ; 
Likeness  as  Theologian  to 
John  Calvin,  307  ;  Relation 
of  Theology  to  Philosophy, 
304. 

Theology 

Adoption,  333-336 ;  Arguments 
for  the  Divine  Existence, 
313-319 ;  Difference  between 
His  Theology  and  That  of 
Dr.  Dabney,  367 ;  Federal 
Headship,  324-329 ;  Infinite 
Element    Involved    in    Theol- 


432 


Index 


ogy,  393  ;  Origin  of  First  Sin, 
319 ;  Parentalism,  319-322 ; 
Person  of  Christ,  329-333  ; 
Proof  that  Theology  is  a 
Science,  308-312  ;  Prophecy, 
Dr.  Girardeau's  Views  Given 
by  Dr.  Bryan,  372-376;  Real- 
ism, 322-324 ;  Science,  The- 
ology is  a,  419-423  ;  Type  of 
Theology  Taught  by  Dr. 
Girardeau,   338. 


osopher,    285  ;    on   The   Theo- 
logian, 304. 

"Will     in     Its     Theological     Rela- 
tions,"  197   et  seq. 

Woodrow,  James 

Share  in  Evolution  Contro- 
versy, 232  et  seq.  ;  Debates 
with  Dr.  Girardeau  in 
Charleston  Assembly,  221  et 
seq. 


Webb,  R.  A. 

Author  of  Articles  on  "The 
Presbyter,"  208  ;  on  "The 
Evolution  Controversy,"  231  ; 
Son-in-law  of  Dr.  Girardeau, 
28. 
Whaling,   Thornton 

Author  of  Article  on  The  Phil- 


Zion  Church 

Consolidated  with  Glebe  Street 
Church,  136  ;  Organization 
and  Constitution  of,  81-98  ; 
Scattered  by  War,  134  ;  Shut 
Out  by  Freedmen's  Bureau, 
136. 


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